From Fanfic to Fairytale
by Ash M. Knight
Summary: Emma Swan is a writer who posts her fanfiction online. Regina Mills is her most devoted fan. Though Emma is reserved and reluctant, their relationship blossoms into something intimate that neither of them can ignore. Rated M for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1: A Virtual Connection

**A/N: Hello, my darling readers! With this one, I'm gonna be vulnerable and change things up a bit, so please be gentle! I also want you all to know that even though Emma writes fanfiction about KPop idols, the story is notgoing to focus on that. It's simply a small thread I'm using to tie the story together. The focus is going to be on their relationship with each other. Also, please know that this is the only chapter where they'll be extensively exchanging messages. The rest of the story will have substantial action and content. I've been _very_ excited about this piece, because it was extremely fun to write, so again, please be gentle with me! I tried really hard, and I hope it's enjoyable and entertaining for you all!**

* * *

Twenty-one year-old Emma Swan spent most of her time online. Even though there were far more chances to connect with others on the web, she still found herself lacking friends. The only people she communicated with were casual acquaintances. Her blog was her solace, even though very few people read it or followed her posts. It gave her an outlet to vent her anger and depression, and the fanfiction she read and wrote gave her an outlet to vent her sexual frustration.

Mostly, her reading and writing had to do with famous Korean pop idols, but occasionally she would entertain herself with alternate universe fiction about some of her preferred television shows. Those, however, she did not find as engaging as the imaginary lives of real celebrities. Though Kpop was a bit of a niche market that she was often made fun of for liking, she was unable to ignore the way it continuously kept her interest.

One evening, however, after she returned home from her part-time job at a diner downtown, Emma was surprised to find an email waiting for her in her inbox. She quickly noticed that it was a review for one of her pieces of writing, which was even more surprising.

* * *

 **From** : fanfiction . net

 **Subject** : Review from RedAppleQueen

 _Hi there…_

 _I don't usually do this, but by the time I finished this chapter, I couldn't help myself. Something about your writing is entirely captivating, and I was horrified to find the cliffhanger at the end of this chapter, though I shouldn't have been surprised, given that the previous chapters ended much in the same manner._

 _In any case, I feel the need to let you know that I've been completely enticed by this story, and your ability to weave a fantastic plot. Not to mention that your intense and well-thought-out character development fascinates me to no end._

 _I can only imagine what kind of a background you must come from to be able to write this kind of pain so clearly and vividly, but I assume you've been through something similar. All I can say is that I hope that whatever you've gone through that's made you such a strong writer is no longer weighing on your heart or mind. I also need you to know that what you've written here has truly made me feel something… for the first time in a long time._

 _Thank you for this work of art. I desperately await your next update and will remain on the edge of my seat until it is posted._

 _RedAppleQueen_

* * *

As soon as she finished reading the email, Emma felt her heart stop. How could someone be so 'captivated' by such terrible, underdeveloped writing? she wanted to know, and she pondered this for a while, until other thoughts popped into her head. Who was this person? Were they completely insane? Then, suddenly, a more horrifying prospect entered her mind. Was she going to respond? And if so, what the _hell_ was she going to say?

Emma's hands, sweating from the pressure of the decision, hovered over the keyboard of her laptop. Finally, she opened the link to respond and began to type.

* * *

 _Dear RedAppleQueen,_

 _I can't express how flattered and confused I am by your review. Was this, perhaps, intended for someone else's story? Surely, mine could never earn such a response from any reader. To be honest, I've only ever received negative reviews on any of my stories. No one has ever reacted the way you have to my writing. What you've said will stick with me as I write the next chapter, but I will say this… I certainly feel pressured to deliver! I'm completely horrified by the prospect of disappointing you, but I promise to give it my all and to give you the best chapter that I can. You've inspired me more than anyone ever has, and I appreciate your review. Hopefully, I won't let you down._

 _FearlessSwan_

* * *

After typing the entire response, she let her curser hover over the 'submit' button for what seemed like half an hour. At last, she decided to click the link, after first seriously considering deleting the entire thing.

"Shit," she muttered. "Shouldn't have even replied to that fucking thing. They're probably just fucking with me. They're probably about to totally troll me and shit all over my writing like everyone else."

After a while of sitting in the dark and wallowing in intense regret and embarrassment, Emma finally opened a blank document and once again let her fingers hover over the keys. Just as she was about to throw the laptop to the floor and give up – watching the word count climb to a grand total of zero – her laptop made a notification noise that was so loud it startled her, given the silence that surrounded her room.

She considered ignoring the email, but the subject line immediately caught her attention.

* * *

 **From** : fanfiction . net

 **Subject** : PM from RedAppleQueen

 _FearlessSwan,_

 _I can't stress my earnestness enough. I've binged on your writing for the past four hours, and you've left me wishing I didn't have to stop reading. It saddens me to hear your lack of confidence in your writing, but it does not surprise me that you doubt my sincerity. Please believe, though, that I would not waste my time reviewing a piece of writing that I did not find stunning. (I've never left a negative review. When I don't enjoy someone's writing, I stop reading.)_

 _RedAppleQueen_

* * *

"Jesus, Christ. This person's insane," Emma mumbled, staring at the screen. "Or maybe I'm insane. Maybe I'm dreaming this."

She shook her head to wake herself from her slumber but found that she was already awake. So the reader must be crazy. _Hey_ , Emma thought. _At least it's not me. I'm looney enough as it is with all my imaginary stories. The last thing I need is an imaginary fan._

As she considered her response, she lifted a beer tle to her lips and downed a few gulps. What to say? How to respond?

Instead of writing back, she found herself clicking on the reviewer's profile. The first thing that caught her attention was the user icon. _Shit,_ Emma was thinking. _There's no way that's actually her. She's fucking gorgeous._ But the icon seemed too normal to be that of a celebrity. In the picture, the young woman held up and apple and looked at the camera with a small smirk that made Emma's stomach drop. _Fuck. What now? Guess I could read a little more…_ So Emma's eyes moved down the page where the user's description was displayed.

 _Insanely obsessed with Kpop (specifically_ _ **VIXX**_ _and_ _ **GOT7**_ _). Avid reader. Too pathetic and terrified to write. Hobby: intensely admiring those who can. Don't do reviews but will favorite if I'm a fan. Not much else to say. I'm anything but interesting._

 _ **RedAppleQueen**_

 _Modeun gamjeongeul jiwosseo, neol aesseo jiul su eobseoseo. (I erased all of my emotions, but I couldn't erase you.) -VIXX, "Error"_

Emma stared in disbelief, then navigated to her own profile page where she read her own description. (Her icon was a picture of her favorite Korean idol.)

 _Lover of VIXX, BTS (Bangtan Boys), and GOT7. Terrible writer. Insatiable reader. Nobody interesting or important. Cooler online than in person. Don't ask for my real name or location. You're not gonna get it, creepers. Thanks for reading, if you do._

 _ **FearlessSwan (Add me on Tumblr under the same name if you want to listen to boring whining about gorgeous Koreans I want to have sex with.)**_

 _Tto mureup kkurnneun nan dachil junbiga dwae isseo. (I'm on my knees and I'm ready to get hurt.) – VIXX, "On and On"_

Noting that each of their signatures were from the same group, Emma stared in disbelief and she switched back and forth between their profiles. _No. Fucking. Way._ Emma continued to stare, until finally, she realized that she'd completely forgotten to respond to the message. _Okay, it's not that weird. Lots of people like VIXX._ Quickly, she pulled up the reply page and hovered her curser over the empty text box. After a while, she managed a few words.

* * *

 _I don't know if you noticed this – I don't know why you would've hered to look at my profile, anyway – but our signatures are h lyrics from the same group._

 _FearlessSwan_

* * *

She stared at what she wrote, then quickly deleted it. After another minute of staring, she typed it again, and before she could talk herself out of it, she hit 'submit' and sent the message. A few minutes later, another notification appeared in her inbox.

* * *

 **From** : fanfiction . net

 **Subject** : PM from RedAppleQueen

 _FearlessSwan,_

 _Actually, I did notice, but I was too nervous to say anything. I didn't want to seem… You know… Weird. It is sort of strange that we h chose that particular group to represent ourselves to the world. But a lot of people like them, right? Fate is sort of silly to believe in, I suppose. Anyway, I sound ridiculous. I apologize. Anyway, as I said, I anxiously await your next update, and I hope I didn't creep you out. I'll understand if you don't respond._

 _RedAppleQueen_

* * *

This time, Emma typed her response quickly and without hesitation.

* * *

 _RedAppleQueen,_

 _Your message wasn't creepy at all. In fact… To be completely honest and transparent… I was thinking the same thing. Seems strange for us to find each other's profiles in this huge sea of writers and readers. At any rate, I'm going to try to get started on the next chapter. Wish me luck!_

 _FS_

* * *

 **From** : fanfiction . net

 **Subject** : PM from RedAppleQueen

 _FS,_

 _Good luck, dear! I can't wait!_

 _RAQ_

* * *

After a few minutes of hesitation in front of a blank document, Emma finally began to type. It was around three in the morning when she hit 'save' and let out a long, slow breath.

"Thank God that's over," she muttered, her hands sweating slightly. "That was brutal."

Exhausted but feeling the urge to post the chapter, she decided to stay awake for another forty-five minutes as she re-read and edited the chapter.

"Jesus," Emma breathed as she hit 'save' one last time. "Finally."

She posted the chapter, then shut her laptop, setting it on the nightstand and rolling over onto her bed. She browsed a few websites on her phone and added a few posts to her blog before finally drifting off to sleep. Just as she was halfway through a dream, she woke to the sound of an email notification from her phone.

* * *

 **From** : fanfiction . net

 **Subject** : Review from RedAppleQueen

 _FUCK, FS! You are_ _ **brutal**_ _! How could you do that to Jaehwan? How could you stop it there? You're breaking my heart here! I NEED MOREEE. As soon as I woke up to the notification that you'd posted, I couldn't go back to sleep without reading. PLEASE DON'T STOP! Thank you SO MUCH for posting tonight! You're my favorite!_

 _RAQ_

* * *

Emma gawked at this, but fell asleep before she could respond.

In the morning, she was surprised to see the email sitting in her inbox, having thought the whole thing had been a strange dream. As soon as it registered, though, she immediately felt guilty for falling asleep without replying. This girl had woken up in the middle of the night to read her story, and all she could do was fall asleep without even sending a short 'Thank you?' _Fuck_ , Emma cursed in her mind, quickly typing up a response.

* * *

 _RAQ,_

 _You are an angel for posting that review. You brightened my night. I'm sorry I didn't reply right away. To be honest, I fell back asleep, but I assure you, when I woke I was so dazed to find your message in my inbox that my mouth dropped open. I'd thought it was a dream._

 _FS_

* * *

The next reply didn't come until later that night, shortly after Emma had gotten home from work. When she saw it, her eyes widened, and her stomach dropped once more.

* * *

 **From** : fanfiction . net

 **Subject** : PM from RedAppleQueen

 _My dear FearlessSwan,_

 _I am far from angel, and even if I had been once, by now, your fics have completely corrupted my black little heart, and I couldn't be happier about it. Keep it coming, darling. I hear the dark side has cookies._

 _Endlessly your fan,_

 _RedAppleQueen_

* * *

A blush rose to Emma's cheeks as she re-read the message, her brain not believing what her eyes were seeing. If Emma hadn't known better, she would have thought the girl was… well… _flirting_. And how was she supposed to reply to that? Emma pushed a shaking hand through her blonde hair. Seeming to have a mind of its own, her other hand used the mouse to navigate to the girl's profile, and the green-eyed girl found herself gazing deeply into the brown eyes in the picture in front of her.

" _Shit,"_ Emma cursed. "She's fucking beautiful."

Instead of replying – she couldn't bring herself to come up with something to say that didn't feel incredibly creepy or wrong – she hurried to type up another chapter and posted it as soon as she was done proof-reading. Then, unable to control her own thoughts, she moved to the edge of her seat and stared at her computer screen, hoping the girl would review as quickly as possible. The notification noise startled her, even though that was exactly what she was waiting for, so she jumped slightly before clicking on the email to open it.

* * *

 **From** : fanfiction . net

 **Subject** : Review from RedAppleQueen

 _Surprise, surprise. You've done it again. How can I express in words my attachment to this story? Every moment of heartbreak you write breaks mine as well. I find myself dreading the day this story ends… Please, never stop writing. I might wither and die without your stories._

 _Endlessly your fan,_

 _RedAppleQueen_

* * *

 _My dearest fan,_

 _I find myself unable to stop writing, now that I have a reason to continue. What can I say? You've become my muse._

 _Yours truly,_

 _Fearless Swan_

* * *

Before she could change her mind, Emma's finger clicked the mouse and sent the reply. As soon as the 'Sent!' screen appeared, Emma screamed and covered her mouth.

"Oh my _God!"_ she cried. "What the hell did I just _do?_ I am such a creep!"

The next message, received just a few moments later, made her heart jump in anticipation.

* * *

 **From** : fanfiction . net

 **Subject** : PM from RedAppleQueen

 _My dearest writer,_

 _What greater honor is there than to be someone's muse? If only I believed that. I appreciate you being so sweet – you're really too kind – but I really haven't done anything helpful. I just can't get enough of your writing._

 _Endlessly your fan,_

 _RedAppleQueen_

* * *

 _Lovely reader,_

 _My words are sincere (and highly embarrassing. I can't believe I told you that.) Please believe them._

 _Writing for you,_

 _FS_

* * *

"Fuck," Emma muttered. "What am I doing?"

After a few minutes of waiting for a replying and not getting one, Emma got up from her desk and went downstairs into the kitchen to make herself food. Halfway through cooking the hamburger meat she was going to use for tacos, her phone buzzed and made a pinging noise, indicating that she'd received an email.

* * *

 **From** : fanfiction . net

 **Subject** : PM from RedAppleQueen

 _To the most talented writer,_

 _But if I believed you, that would mean that you've said the kindest thing that's ever been said to me. I couldn't be more flattered to be your muse._

 _Endlessly your fan,_

 _RAQ_

* * *

Of course, she'd been distracted by reading just long enough to burn her meal and nearly set the stove on fire as smoke filled the room. She threw the pan into the sink and turned on the cold water as steam erupted from it.

"Shit," the blonde sighed, covering her eyes with her hand. "I am such an idiot."

She cleaned up the mess and washed the dishes, but by the time she'd done that, she was far less motivated to eat. Instead, she went back up to her room and began to write her next chapter.

Again, she finished around three in the morning, and only spent the next half-hour checking the piece for errors. This time, though, she hesitated before posting, knowing that this chapter was far more depressing than any of her previous ones. After all… The story had to end somewhere.

* * *

 **From** : fanfiction . net

 **Subject** : Review from RedAppleQueen

 _I can't believe you did this. How could you possibly end it like that? How could you let him die? I'm sobbing. Partly, because it's over, but mostly… Well… I'll message you privately._

 _Endlessly your fan,_

 _RedAppleQueen_

* * *

Seconds later, another message appeared in Emma's inbox, before she even had a chance to take in the review.

* * *

 **From** : fanfiction . net

 **Subject** : PM from RedAppleQueen

 _My dear, sweet FearlessSwan,_

 _There are two possibilities. One, you're a cruel, cruel human being who likes to fuck with their readers and break hearts with your words. Two, you've been hurt so deeply that you have to express your pain through your writing. I strongly feel that the second possibility is the most probable, considering how kind you've been in all of your messages. That being said, I want you to know that – as strange as this sounds – you can talk to me about anything. I'm sure writing must be cathartic for you, otherwise you probably wouldn't do it, but if you need someone to talk to… I'm here, and I'm more than happy to listen._

 _Endlessly your fan, but seriously concerned,_

 _RedAppleQueen_

* * *

 _In response to the kindest words I've ever heard,_

 _I deeply appreciate your concern. It touches me deeply that you'd think of me and my welfare. That being said, you should know that I am just fine. Writing is simply an outlet for my creativity. You don't have to worry about me. Also, I am sorry to have broken your heart, and even more remorseful for making you cry. No one as beautiful and radiant as you should ever have a reason to shed a tear._

 _Yours truly,_

 _FearlessSwan_

* * *

 **From** : fanfiction . net

 **Subject** : PM from RedAppleQueen

 _My truly fearless swan,_

 _I wish I could believe you, but writing like that… it comes from somewhere. You might be_ 'on your knees and ready to get hurt,' _but it certainly won't be by my doing. I'm here for you, no matter what you need._

 _Also, I should be honest with you…_

 _And this is very forward of me… But…_

 _A part of me really wants to get to know you. I feel I connect with your writing, but also… since you've replied to my messages, I've felt that connection with you as well. I hope that doesn't sound as creepy to you as it sounds in my head. I just want to be straightforward and transparent, just like you said. Please… Let me be here for you. And know that I don't say these things to anyone else._

 _Regina_

* * *

Once again, Emma's mouth fell open. _Regina. Her name is Regina._ She stared at the girl's profile picture, taking in her gorgeous features, and wishing the image was larger. She had a sudden urge to make the picture her desktop wallpaper. This thought she immediately shook from her mind, completely confused as to where it had come from.

"Don't be dumb, Emma," she scolded herself. "She's out of your league. She's just being nice."

But she replied anyway, daring herself not to back away from the invitation.

* * *

 _My darling Regina,_

 _Without ever meeting me, you see through me, which is more than I can say for anyone else in my life. It scares me to say it, but I want to get to know you too. I'm drawn to you. Your words have woven around my heart, and as much as I want to fight it, I feel like I should open up to you._

 _I'm not ready, though. There's too much to say. I'm ashamed of my tale of woe, and I don't feel the need to share the burden with anyone else. If you're really serious about getting to know me, we should start on common ground. Please understand. It's not you that I'm reluctant to share with you. It's anyone. Not to mention, to be perfectly upfront with you, confronting my own story terrifies me._

 _Actually… Let's make a deal. I'll answer anything you're brave enough to ask, if you answer any question I ask you in return._ Quid pro quo _, my dear. Something for something._

 _Yours,_

 _Emma_

* * *

 **From** : fanfiction . net

 **Subject** : PM from RedAppleQueen

 _Oh, Emma… Sweet, sweet Emma…_

 _How I wish I could comfort you. How I wish I could protect you from these horrible things that haunt your mind and heart._

 _I feel that pull, too, drawing me to you more and more with each message you send._

 _As enticing as your offer sounds… I fear I might scare you away with my questions… so let's start with something small. I think I can guess from your writing, but who is your bias in VIXX? Can you tell me why?_

 _I'm embarrassed to say so, but I'm desperate to know you… Thank you for sharing yourself with me in this way._

 _Yours,_

 _Regina_

* * *

 _Darling Regina,_

 _My bias? Hmm… Favorite member of VIXX… The one who holds my heart… I'd have to saw Jaehwan. (I bet your next question will be, 'Then why did you kill him?!' but I can't explain that…) Why I love him, though? He's so happy all the time. His smile brightens a room, and everything he does is adorable. He's so, so handsome, and he has the voice of an angel. His cover of Adele's "Rolling in the Deep" at the Utopia concert pretty much broke me._

 _Okay… Now I get to ask. Who's yours?_

 _Emma_

* * *

 **From** : fanfiction . net

 **Subject** : PM from RedAppleQueen

 _Perfect, flawless Emma,_

 _That's easy. JAEHWAN. Ravi is a close second, because he's hilarious and spunky, but Jaehwan holds a special place in my heart that I just can't help but give to him. Well, really he stole it… Anyway, my reasons are pretty much that same as yours. He's just stunning. A total prince._

 _My next question is more of a request… And it's okay if you want to say no. It doesn't have to be part of our agreement… But I'd really love to see a picture of you. Please? I'll do anything you want in return._

 _Passionately fascinated by you,_

 _Regina_

* * *

 _Darling Regina,_

 _As reluctant as I am to let you see me and my hideous face… If you go on my blog and search for 'selfie,' you'll see pictures of my ugly self. Have fun. Try not to laugh…_

 _Totally embarrassed,_

 _Emma_

* * *

 **From** : fanfiction . net

 **Subject** : PM from RedAppleQueen

 _Oh, my God, Emma…._

 _You are so fucking beautiful. Your eyes are so stunning that I think my heart might burst, and you're just… You're just gorgeous. God… My heart won't stop racing…_

 _Captivated by your beauty,_

 _Regina_

* * *

Emma's stomach dropped as she read the message.

"She's got to be fucking with me," she breathed, staring at the computer screen.

Then, suddenly compelled to address the girl's comments indirectly (rather than head-on), she decided to use her phone's camera to give a response. The picture she took showed herself holding up a medium-sized sign that said one word, surrounded by several red hearts.

"Regina."

She posted it quickly, before she could chicken out, and sent the next message.

* * *

 _Regina,_

 _Check the tag again._

 _Emma_

* * *

 **From** : fanfiction . net

 **Subject** : PM from RedAppleQueen

 _Gorgeous girl,_

 _My username is "RedAppleQueen." Search for the tag, 'me.'_

 _In awe of you,_

 _Regina_

* * *

The picture made Emma's mouth water as her jaw dropped again.

In it, Regina – this time in a pair of dark-red rimmed glasses – was blowing a kiss, her lips slightly but seductively puckered, and holding a sign that read, "I think I'm crushing on you," which was also surrounded by hearts.

The blonde reached out and touched the screen of her laptop, then clicked on the image. She was shocked to see it enlarge to fill her entire screen. Then, without thinking, she instantly right-clicked on the picture and selected, 'Set as desktop background.'

Her hands shook as she typed her next response.

* * *

 _Darling,_

 _I've got a bit of a crush on you too._

 _Tell me something else, though… What's the dirtiest thing you've ever read in a fic?_

 _Em_

* * *

 **From** : fanfiction . net

 **Subject** : PM from RedAppleQueen

 _Oh, sweetie,_

 _You know it's your fic from September where Jaehwan ties Ravi to the bed and fucks him til he's raw._

 _However… As much as I enjoy a good hunk-on-hunk action… I'm suddenly craving some girl-on-girl from you… Something nasty. Can you deliver?_

 _;)_

 _Gina_

* * *

 _Oh, darling…_

 _Can I ever. Anything to please you… Give me forty minutes or so._

 _Em_

* * *

An hour later, Emma made the post, and another hour after that, her inbox showed a new private message from the girl she so desperately wanted to satisfy.

* * *

 **From** : fanfiction . net

 **Subject** : PM from RedAppleQueen

 _Oh, God…_

 _That was incredible… I couldn't… I couldn't help but…_

* * *

 _What? Tell me…_

* * *

 **From** : fanfiction . net

 **Subject** : PM from RedAppleQueen

 _Em, I can't. I'm so embarrassed…_

* * *

 _Okay. I'll confess something first, then._

 _I hope you touched yourself…_

 _Anxious to know,_

 _Your Emma_

* * *

 **From** : fanfiction . net

 **Subject** : PM from RedAppleQueen

 _My talented Emma,_

 _You should congratulate yourself. It's the first time I've ever done anything like that. I couldn't help myself… You make me insatiable. I hope you give me more…_

 _Gina_

* * *

 _Regina, my sweet,_

 _I'm stunned…_

 _I can't stop picturing it… Picturing you… Seeing your face…_

 _I'd do anything for you, but I'm scared to disappoint. Give me a night to sleep on it. I'll post something special for you in the morning._

 _Enchanted by you,_

 _Your doting Emma_

* * *

 _Shit,_ Emma was thinking. This is going _way_ too fast. Before she could regret it, though, she received another email from the fan that was quickly captivating her heart.

* * *

 **From** : fanfiction . net

 **Subject** : PM from RedAppleQueen

 _Goodnight, my darling. I'll be dreaming of you and anxiously waiting for your update._

 _Captivated by you,_

 _Regina_

* * *

Emma woke early to write and edit. After three cups of coffee, she posted what she'd come up with.


	2. Chapter 2: I Want You To

Emma anxiously awaited the woman's reply, but before she received it, her alarm for work went off, and she was forced to leave her apartment disappointed. Maybe her writing was horrible? Maybe all their conversations _had_ been a dream?

This thought stuck in her mind throughout the day at work, until she got in her car to drive home. On the way, though, instead of finding relief, she found tragedy.

Still not having received a response, Emma sent the girl another message.

* * *

Regina,

It's okay if you can't or don't want to… but I at least have to ask you…

 _ **Please, call me as soon as you can? I need someone to talk to.**_

 _(978) 431-8655_

 _Emma_

* * *

The call came through moments later, but Emma's sobs drowned out the sound of the young woman's silk-smooth voice.

"Emma? Emma, are you okay?!"

"Gina," Emma sobbed. "My cat Pickles got hit by a fucking car. He didn't make it."

"Oh, my God. I'm so, so sorry, Emma. I wish… I wish I could-"

"I wish you were here."

"I do too, honey. I am so sorry."

For the next couple of minutes, Regina whispered, "It's okay," and "I'm right here," a few times, just letting the girl cry on the other end of the line. Eventually, though, Emma's tears slowed nearly to a stop.

"Thank you so much for calling me," Emma said slowly. "I didn't think you would."

"What? Why?"

"Well, you hadn't replied, so I thought maybe… maybe I creeped you out, or-"

"Not at all. I was at work, sweetie. I just walked in the door right before I called you. I'm just sorry I couldn't have gotten to you sooner."

"It's okay, love. I'm glad you called."

"So, um… I don't know if you noticed this when I called or not, but… My number is a 207 number."

"No, I… I just kind of answered it. Wait… You mean you live in Maine?!"

"Yeah. Storybrooke. Where are you in Massachusetts?"

"Boston! You're only a few hours from me!"

Hearing Emma's smile, Regina let out a relieved sigh.

"What?" the blonde asked.

"Nothing. It's just good to hear the smile in your voice. It's beautiful."

"Mine? Listen to yours. It's smoother than honey…"

"Oh yeah?" Regina asked slyly, smirking slightly.

"Yeah. I like it. It's sexy."

There was silence on the other end of the line as Emma tried to collect herself and take a few slow, steady breaths. Regina was doing the same.

Finally, she said, "You're sexy."

"Nah," Emma laughed. "I'm fuckin' ridiculous."

"Shut up. You're fuckin' gorgeous."

"Gina…"

"What?"

"Don't say that stuff."

"Why not?"

"Because it's not true, and it makes me feel… I don't know."

"No, what? Tell me."

"It makes my heart race, okay?"

"Have you considered that maybe that's what I want?" Emma's mouth hung open, but she was silent as Regina continued, "I want to make you feel good."

"Why?"

"I told you, Emma," the brunette sighed. "I'm drawn to you. Everything you say. Everything you write. The way you sound…"

"Shit," Emma said suddenly. "I gotta go. My mum's calling, and I've gotta tell her about Pickles."

"Call me back?"

"Of course. Give me five minutes."

"Emma?"

"Yes, love?"

"I'm really sorry about Pickles."

"Thanks."

"He's at peace now, though. Take comfort in the fact that he's not suffering, okay? And know that I'll be here whenever you need me."

Emma hesitated, then finally managed, "Thank you, Gina. I'll talk to you soon, okay?"

"Okay, babe."

Five minutes later, as promised, Emma dialed the woman's number and waited for her to pick up.

The first thing the brunette asked was, "You okay, Em?"

Emma's tears had returned, but she had mostly calmed down since her last phone call.

"I'm alright. Thank you, Regina."

"Of course. I'm just glad you asked for me."

"I was scared to," Emma confessed. "Like I said, I didn't think you'd call."

"How could I not? Honestly, I was dying to hear the sound of your voice. I have been since I first saw your face."

"But why?"

"Because I knew it was going to be perfect."

"You're ridiculous," Emma told her, laughing lightly and sniffling a little as she wiped her nose with a tissue.

"Ridiculously infatuated, I think."

"Sorry… What?"

"I think you heard me."

"Yeah, but-"

"You're captivating, Emma. That's all I know. I'm enchanted by you."

"You're a real flirt, you know that?" Emma sighed, pushing a hand through her hair.

"Only with you, my dear."

The blonde laughed, "Oh, stop," and shook her head.

"I mean that. I'm not like this with anyone else. I just can't help myself around you. I want to call you dear… honey… darling…"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah…"

"Anything else?"

"I don't know… I mean…"

But Regina trailed off, so Emma said, "Alright. Listen, I should get some sleep. I've gotta work early tomorrow. But I'll text you when I wake up."

"Did I upset you?"

"No, hun. I just need to decompress and take some deep breaths, you know? Try to collect myself. Tonight was really shitty. Except hearing your voice. That was… That was perfect."

"What did you expect me to sound like?" Regina asked slowly.

"I'm not sure. I guess… sweeter. Not so… I don't know… fucking _sexy._ "

"Oh, come on," the brunette laughed, taking her turn to be skeptical.

"I'm serious. It gives me butterflies."

"Oh, Emma…"

"I'll text you, okay?"

"Alright. Sleep well, Princess."

"Goodnight, my queen."

It didn't take long after hanging up the phone for Emma to realize she wasn't going to be able to sleep any time soon. All she could think about was the voice of the woman she was so intensely drawn to.

Finally, she rolled over, grabbed her phone, and sent Regina a text.

' **Emma: Are you awake?'**

Regina's reply was almost instant.

' **Gina: Yeah, honey. You okay?'**

' **Emma: Can you call me back? I really want to hear your voice again. Just for a little bit longer.'**

The phone rang almost as quickly as Emma had sent the text message, and she answered the call eagerly.

"Hey," Emma said into the receiver.

"Hey, beautiful. What's going on?"

"I can't sleep. I keep thinking about your voice."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah… I know this is really fucked up… but… will you talk to me until I fall asleep?"

"Of course, honey. That's not fucked up. What do you want me to talk about, though?"

"Anything. Everything. Just say whatever you're thinking…"

"I'm thinking about that picture you posted."

Emma laughed, asking, "Why?"

"Because you're beautiful, Emma. Your eyes. Your smile. Your lips…"

"My lips…?"

"Uh-huh…"

"What about them?"

"Emma, don't tease," Regina protested.

Emma couldn't see it, but the brunette was sticking out her lower lip.

"I hear you pouting," Emma laughed. "Knock it off."

"Hold on a sec."

A little confused, Emma went silent and sort of stared at the ceiling as she waited for the girl to say something else, until her phone buzzed. She pulled it away from her ear and looked down to find a picture of Regina with her lower lip stuck out, giving the best set of puppy eyes Emma had ever seen.

"Oh, my God," the blonde gasped. "You stop it right now."

"No way. Not until you stop teasing me."

"What if I like teasing you…?"

Regina paused, considering her response, then answered, "Then don't stop. You'll just have to suffer the consequences."

"Huh?"

"You torture me, I torture you. That's how it works."

"Tell me what you were thinking about my lips."

"No."

"Regina."

"Nope."

"Why won't you just tell me?" Emma finally asked in frustration.

"Because I'd rather show you."

The line went quiet again, until Emma's phone buzzed once more. When she looked down, she saw a picture of Regina licking her lips.

"You bitch," Emma breathed.

Regina just laughed.

"Two can play this game, Emma. But we should stop for tonight. It's late, and you need your rest."

"Wait!" Emma cried, a little louder than she'd intended to.

"Emma, you really should sleep."

"But you said you'd talk to me until I fell asleep…"

"I will, sweetie. I just think you should relax and try to rest. We'll finish our conversation tomorrow, okay? For now, I'll just babble on about Jaehwan, Taekwoon, and Wonshik. How's that sound?"

Unable to stop the smile that spread over her lips, Emma answered, "Alright," and listened to the girl speak until she couldn't stay awake any longer.

In the morning, Emma woke to a text from her crush.

' **Gina: Good morning, beautiful. I hope you slept alright.'**

Emma sighed and smiled again, then tapped on the picture of the girl giving her best pouting face and set it as the lock screen of her phone before texting back.

' **Emma: Good morning, sweetheart. Thank you for last night.'**

' **Gina: You are very welcome. How are you feeling?'**

' **Emma: I'm a little better now, but I still can't believe he's gone.'**

' **Gina: I know what it's like to lose someone close to you, and it sucks. I'm sure he was a wonderful cat. Do you want to tell me about him?'**

' **Emma: I don't think I'm ready to talk about it yet. I gotta get to work, but I'll call you after, if that's okay.'**

' **Gina: Sounds good, darlin'.'**

So Emma went through the first half of her day feeling more anxious to get home than usual. On her break, she checked her phone and found another text message waiting for her.

' **Gina: Hey. I know you're busy, but I just wanted to say that I hope you're having a good day, and I'm excited to hear your voice again later.'**

This, of course, brought a smile to Emma's face that motivated her just enough to get her through the rest of her shift. As soon as it was over, she dialed the girl's number.

"Hey, babe," she said happily. "What's goin' on?"

"Not too much on my end," Regina told her. "Just reading."

"Oh yeah? Becoming someone else's biggest fan?"

Emma laughed, but part of her wondered if it was true.

"Of course not, silly. I'm not even reading fanfiction."

"What ya reading then?"

Emma climbed into the driver's seat of her yellow bug as she listened for the girl's reply.

"Jane Eyre. It's one of my favorites."

"I never would've pegged you for a Charlotte Brontë fan."

"Well, darling, she's got nothing on you, but she _is_ rather talented. Still, I'm a bigger fan of her sister, Emily Brontë."

The blonde could hear the smirk in Regina's voice and enjoyed the way it changed the sound of her words. She longed to see that smile in person.

"So… can I ask you something?" Emma asked, suddenly serious.

"Anything, love."

"Why don't you write?"

"What?"

"Well, I know you read fanfiction, but why don't you write it?"

"I'm a terrible writer."

"I seriously doubt that."

'Well, it's true."

"I won't believe that until I see it."

This made Regina laugh, but she tried to stay serious, saying, "You never will."

"Alright. How about this? I don't write you anything else until you write me something."

"What?! That's _bullshit!_ " Regina nearly screamed into the phone. "That's not fair! I can't live without your writing, Emma! You know that. _Please_ don't fuck around like that."

"I am not 'fucking around,' Regina. I'm being serious. I want to read your writing, and I know this is the only way to make that happen. Besides, it only seems fair. You post for me, then I post for you."

There was a long pause before Regina replied.

"I'll send you my writing, but I won't post it publicly. Deal?"

"Deal."

"So what do you want me to write for you, anyway? What fandom? KPop?"

"No… Something girl-on-girl."

"Okay… Like what, though?"

"I dunno. What about Harry Potter?"

"What?!"

"What? I like Harry Potter, okay?"

"Okay, fine. What couple then?"

"I dunno. Surprise me."

"Okay. I'll write Hermione and McGonagall."

"Regina!" Emma laughed. "Come on."

"Okay, fine. Actually, when I was younger, I used to write a little bit of Hermione Granger and Fleur Delacour."

"I thought you said you didn't write?"

"I don't _post_ what I write. I don't talk about my writing. I don't share my writing. It's mine, and it's private. So, you should be pleased with yourself. You're the first and last person who's ever going to read it. Also, you're a manipulative bitch."

"Actually, I've _very_ pleased with the way this is turning out. I get to embarrass you for a change and not feel like such an idiot. It's kind of nice."

"Oh, shut up, Em," Regina giggled. "Anyway, what's your email? I'll send it tonight sometime after I eat. I just don't want to do it via fanfiction."

"It's just 'Emma Swan at Gmail.' Pretty easy to remember."

"Is… Is that your last name? Swan?" the brunette asked slowly.

Emma smiled and said, "Yeah. Pretty silly, huh? Emma Swan."

"Not at all! I think it's perfect. Hence the FanFiction username, I suppose. It suits you. Anyway, I better get going. The faster I write this for you, the faster you have to write something else for me."

"I'll write while you do. What do you want to read about this time?"

"Oh, anything, really. Everything you write is always amazing."

"Don't be such a flirt, Regina," Emma teased. "Just tell me what you want me to write."

"Okay, fine. Write me some GOT7 smut. Jackson and Jaebum."

"What? Those two? Really? I would've thought you'd say Jaebum and Jinyoung."

"Too cliché."

This earned a laugh from Emma, who shook her head playfully as she pulled into her own driveway.

"Alright. JackBum for a pairing it is, then. You post tonight, and then I'll post mine and text you when it's up."

Regina's next question came slowly, after a long pause.

"Can I call you before bed?"

"Oh course you can, honey. You can call me whenever you want."

"Alright," the brunette said cheerfully, a smile tugging at her lips. "I'll talk to you later. Good luck!"

"You too, dear."

For the first time in a long time, Emma was stuck. Writer's block hit her like a train, and when she opened the blank document on her computer, nothing poured from her imagination to her fingertips.

"Shit," she hissed, slapping her hand against the keyboard. "Hey, there we go! That's a start!"

The page read, "aw;hioiejfiw;rg."

"Well…" she pondered, her lips forming a frown. "Maybe not."

A few hours later, around ten o'clock, the piece was finally done. Only about 2500 words, but it was done. Of course, just to torture her crush, it was dripping with smut, and ended with an explosive orgasm. She waited until Regina texted her that her own piece was up before posting hers. In fact, just to make sure she'd really done it, Emma read the whole thing first. Regina's was longer: 5016 words. Emma was jealous of the girl's ability to write so fast, but her elation stifled that emotion and allowed her to feel pure, unadulterated adoration for the girl who had written it.

Instead of posting her own piece and texting Regina that it was up, she called the girl as soon as she'd mentally processed the last word, about fifteen minutes after she'd finished reading.

"Gina, holy shit!" she shouted, as soon as she heard the click of the call being answered.

"What? What?! Was it that bad?!"

"NO! Babe, it was perfect!"

"Oh, shut up. You're a dirty fuckin' liar."

"YOU are RIDICULOUS, Regina-" she started, then was cut off by her lack of surname. "Wait… I don't even know your last name…"

"It's Mills," the girl answered slowly. "Regina Mills."

"Oh, God, hun… That's… That's perfect. It's like… like music."

"Jesus Christ! Stop it."

"Regina! I'm serious!"

"Emma Swan!"

The blonde groaned and flopped back on her bed in exasperation.

"Don't say my fucking name like that. I can't take it."

"What do you mean?"

"I just… I love the sound of you saying it, even when you're mad." Regina opened her mouth to speak, but when no sound came out, Emma added, "Especially when you're mad."

"What, you wanna be scolded by me?"

"No. But maybe I want to be punished by you."

"Emma, don't…"

"See?"

"No, asshole. I don't see. I'm 240 miles and 3 hours and 38 minutes away right now."

"You… You looked it up?"

"Of course I looked it up, dork. I wanted to know how long it would take you to get to me when I can't fucking take the phone calls anymore." Emma went silent, so Regina asked, "Em? You still there?"

"I, uh… Yeah. I'm… You want me to come see you?"

"You're being an idiot."

"What do you mean?"

"Of _course_ I want you to come see me! Well… Actually, I'd rather come see you. I've never been to Boston, and I've always wanted to go to the aquarium and the museum of science… But I didn't… I didn't want to… You know… Invite myself…"

"You are _so_ invited! _Come see me!_ I'll take you _anywhere._ Anywhere you want to go."

"I… Really?"

"Yeah, babe. Of course. Anywhere."

"I heard the Holocaust memorial is really… difficult to see. But I'd like to…"

"It is hard, to read all the quotes on the towers, but it's beautiful, in a really sad way."

"It'll be hard to stomach, I think, but… if you're with me…"

"I'll hold your hand all the way through, if you want. It's doesn't take very long to go through it. It's just six towers with quotes on each wall inside."

"I'm… Emma, is this really happening?"

"If you want it to. I need a little time in advance to plan, clean up the immense tornado of a mess in my room, and get time off from work, though. For now, phone calls are gonna have to get us through. Can you wait a few weeks?"

"I don't know… I look at your pictures all the time… It's not enough."

"Let's video chat, then."

"Really?"

"Well, yeah. It's the twenty-first century, isn't it? Everyone video chats."

"Uh… I haven't… Er… Um…"

"You've never video chatted before?"

"No… I've never really had a reason to. I don't usually leave reviews or go into chat rooms, so I've never really made a friend online before."

"So I'm your first online friend, huh?"

"Just because I met you online doesn't mean you're just an 'online friend.' Besides, I want to meet you in person. I don't want this to be just an online thing…"

"Well, once you meet me, I'll have no reason to write anymore."

"What?! What do you mean?!"

"Why would I keep trying to impress you if you're already here?"

"Well, maybe because you want a little more than a friendship… and you know I'm in love with your writing."

"You really mean that…?"

"Yes. It would break my heart if you stopped writing."

"It means that much to you?"

"It means the world to me."

"You…"

Emma trailed off.

"I'm what, Emma?"

"You… You're a really good writer."

"I… That's… That's what you were going to say?"

"Well, yeah…"

Luckily, Regina couldn't see the blush rising to Emma's cheeks. _This is way too fast,_ she was thinking. _What am I doing? I'm in such deep shit…_

"Anyway, where the _hell_ is _your_ piece, missy? You promised!"

"I said _you_ post tonight, and that I'd text you when it was up. I never said I'd post _mine_ tonight."

"Emma Swan! Don't be a tease! I know you're done writing! Post the goddam piece right now before I implode!"

"Oooh, fierce. What are you gonna do if I don't?"

"I'm going to drive there right now and slap the shit out of you, you manipulative little punk!" Regina joked, trying hard to stifle the laugh threatening to escape.

"Oh yeah? You wanna slap me around? Do it," Emma countered. "Better yet, fucking _write it_ , you pansy."

"You want me to write a fic about slapping the shit out of someone?"

"No. I want you to write a piece about _you_ slapping _me._ " It was Regina's turn to go quiet, and when she had been silent for a while, Emma added, "Was that… uh… weird? Yeah. That was weird. Too much. I'm sorry. I'm an idiot. I'm sorry. I-"

"Hush. It's… It's not… It's not… _weird._ It's just… I don't… I don't write about people I know."

"You also lied and said you didn't write."

"I'm serious. I don't write about people I know."

"Come on, Gina… If it's really not weird, write it."

"Why? So you can have a wank and then make fun of me for it?"

"Regina! No! So I can… you know… see how you imagine it."

"Imagine it yourself. I don't write about-"

"People you know. You said that. I got it. I just think it's silly."

"It's not silly! It's too personal."

"That's probably true. That I can understand. After all, that's like sharing your deepest, darkest desires with someone. And that would just be _no fun_ …"

The brunette's face flooded with color as she lowered the phone and stared at the picture of Emma that displayed when she called the girl's number. The smile on Emma's face was intoxicating, and it distracted Regina from the conversation.

"Yo. Gina?" Emma asked loudly, realizing that Regina hadn't heard the last few words she'd said, since she hadn't gotten a response.

This being loud enough to snap her out of her trance, Regina put the phone back up to her ear and said, "Yeah. Sorry. I was… I got… uh…"

"Distracted?"

"Er… Yeah."

"Am I that boring?"

"What? No! I just… I was…"

"What distracted you, then?"

"I was… It… I'm sorry. I just…"

"Regina."

"Your picture, okay? I moved the phone away from my ear to look at your picture, just for a second… and then it turned into… more than a second…"

"Seriously?"

"You're beautiful, Em. Captivating. I told you that."

"I know you said it, but I still can't believe it."

"Whether you believe it or not is irrelevant to the truth of the statement."

"Well, well, well. That's some hoity toity language there."

Laughing, Regina replied, "Whatever."

"Anyway, I get why you don't want to write it now. Sorry I pushed. I should've thought of that. Really, I shouldn't have even suggested it. It was dumb."

"Wait… Emma…"

"What?"

"Why don't… Why don't _you_ write it?"

"What? Me?"

"Yeah, you. You're the professional here."

"Oh, my God. Don't. That's ridic-"

"Shut up, punk. Don't make me punish you for talking back to me."

"Don't make me hang up to escape you torturing me!"

"I wasn't… Oh. Alright. I guess I kinda was."

"You're a goddam flirt. You know that?"

"Maybe…"

"Bitch."

"Jerk."

They both laughed at this, but when the sound finally stopped, Regina said quietly, "Please write it, Emma."

"Why? So you can have a wank and then make fun of me for it?" the blonde mocked, repeating the girl's words back to her. Made a little nervous by Regina's sudden silence, Emma added, "I really can't. I'm too embarrassed."

"See?! I told you."

"I know. I apologized!"

"Now you know how it feels to be asked to do something like that and to have to decline."

"I do. I'm sorry."

"It's alright," Regina sighed. "I'm sorry too."

"Anyway, in all seriousness, I'm gonna post the fic right now, okay?"

"Really?!"

"Really. Hold on a sec. I'll tell you when it's up."

"I follow and favorited you on Fanfiction. I'll get a notification in my email as soon as you do."

"Huh?"

"What? You're surprised?"

"I mean… Yeah. A little."

"You're my favorite author, FearlessSwan. You always will be."

"I… I'm flattered. Really, I am. But you're _crazy_ , girl. Absolutely bonkers."

"Maybe so, but I'm also pretty crazy for you."

Emma's mouth dropped open, and she was thankful that they weren't in fact, video chatting so that the girl couldn't see the display of shock and surprise.

"Emma?" Regina asked, when there was silence on the other end of the line.

"Yeah… I, um…"

"I'm sorry. That was too forward. I shouldn't have said that."

"No, I… It's okay. I just-"

"I should go. I want to read your piece when you post it, and I don't want you to hear me squealing about it and fangirling over you."

"Over me, or my writing?"

Regina was also relieved by the fact that she wasn't on camera, since she was currently blushing even brighter than before. The blonde seemed to have that effect on her.

"Your… Um… Your writing," she finally answered, only telling half of the truth.

"Hmm… Okay. If you say so," Emma teased, hearing the lie in her voice but not wanting to push for the truth she already knew (and was still surprised by). "Anyway… I'd kind of like to hear you squealing." When there was another silence on the other end of the line, Emma gasped and blurted, "I mean, about my writing!"

"Oh, yeah? Not about… I don't know… you touching me?"

"Regina, stop! I just meant-"

"Mhmm. Okay."

"Don't _tease me_ ," Emma groaned, slamming her fist down on the bed in frustration.

"But I like it… I like making you squirm."

"I'm not squirming! You're just mean!"

"Uh-huh. Sure."

"You are!"

"Maybe I'm mean, but I know you're squirming. I can hear it in your voice."

"So what? What if I am?"

"Then I'm getting the results I want."

"You're good at that," the blonde grumbled, her brow furrowing.

"I'm not reading this on the phone with you."

"C'mon, Gina. Please? Just do this for me. If you won't write about us, just… read it with me on the phone. Please?"

"It's way too embarrassing. I can't…"

"Okay… Well… What if I do something hella embarrassing first?"

"Like what?"

"What if I… if I read it to you?"

"What? Seriously? You mean, right now? Like, over the phone?"

"Like over the phone. Right now."

"No, Emma… I can't… I couldn't take it…"

"What do you mean?"

"I can't fucking wank with you on the phone, alright?!" Regina snapped, wanting to throw the phone down and scream from the shame she was feeling.

Her crush's eyes went wide at this confession, and, not knowing what to say but knowing she should speak, she simply fumbled out the words, "But I want you to."


	3. Chapter 3: Read to Me

**A/N: Thank you guys _so_ much for all your favs, follows, and reviews! Hope you enjoy the next chapter!**

* * *

"What? Why?" Regina gasped, sucking in a deep breath.

Emma blushed and answered, "I dunno. Thinking about that is just really hot." Regina didn't respond, so Emma said, "Anyway, it's probably too short to wank to. It's only like 2500 words."

"Oh, trust me, if there's smut – which I _know_ there is – I can wank."

"I wanna watch you masturbate," Emma sighed, shutting her eyes and picturing it in her mind. As soon as she heard herself say it, though, she blurted, "Oh, my God! I didn't… Oh, fuck… I'm… I'm sorry. I-"

"Shh…" Regina cooed. "Don't. Don't be sorry. Just tell me why."

"W-Why? Why what?"

"Why you want to watch."

"Because it's what I'm thinking about fifty percent of the time."

"And the other fifty percent?"

"Holding you. Kissing you. Fucking you myself…"

"Emma…"

"It's too much, too fast. I know. I'm sorry. But you asked, and I didn't want to lie. I shouldn't have said what I did before that… It just sort of came out…"

"I… I want you to be honest with me. It is fast, but… Whatever this is… It's setting my heart on fire, and I've never felt like this before."

"I want to be honest with you. It's just… It's embarrassing."

"Well… You know… Everything's kind of embarrassing with your crush at first."

"How do you know I'm crushing on you?" Emma asked playfully, a smile spread across her lips.

"Because you flirt with me constantly, you just told me that you think about fucking me, and want to listen to and watch me masturbate."

Emma paused, then suddenly asked, "Are you loud?"

"What… What do you mean?"

"When you come, are you loud?"

"I… I…"

"It's okay. You don't have to tell me. I'm seriously embarrassing myself. I need to shut the fuck up. I should go and let you read my piece of shit fic."

"It's not a piece of shit! None of your writing is shit! And… And… don't go. I… I usually… um… cover my mouth… you know... with my other hand… so I don't… um…"

"You're loud, then?"

"When I'm alone."

"Who do you live with?"

"I still live with my parents. It's kinda lame, but… I work for my mom, and it saves me a lot of money. I'm saving up to go back to school. I sort of had to… um… drop out of college after my first year…"

"That's cool that you want to go back, though! What do you study?"

"Political science, for my bachelor's, but I plan to go on to law school… um… if I can afford it."

"So… Um… How often are you alone?"

"Not so often. I'm either at the office with my mom or home with her."

"Sounds… frustrating."

"Sexually, yeah. You know what's worse?"

"No… What?"

"Your mother fucking fics. Are you going to post it or not?"

"Are you alone?"

"Actually, yeah. For the first time in like a week. Mom and Dad are having date night." Regina chuckled at this, adding, "It's kind of cute. My mom's really not touchy feely, but my dad just adores her. He asks her to go out all the time, but she usually blows him off to do work. Tonight, she said yes, so they're gone for a few more hours. Why?"

"Let me read to you. I know you're embarrassed, but… please… I just want…"

"Yes?"

"I want to be close to you…" the blonde confessed, biting her lip, then asking, "Is that stupid?"

"No… I just… I hadn't thought of it that way. I… I want to be close to you too…"

"Then let's do this."

"I… Alright… But I swear to God, if you laugh…"

"I won't laugh. I promise I won't laugh. Trust me…"

"I do. I can't explain why, but I do. I'm scared, but I trust you."

"You don't have to be scared around me. I'm not going to judge you. I swear."

"Okay… Read it to me."

"I, uh… I kinda stutter when I read out loud. It was a, um… a big deal when I was in high school and I had to read stuff for class. Don't make fun of me?"

"I won't, babe. It's okay. But, um… I'm nervous. Not just to let you hear me, but… for me to hear you. Your writing is always so intense, just reading it on my own. Hearing your voice saying this stuff… I don't know if…"

"If you can take it?"

"Yeah."

"Let's find out."

So Emma, after a nervous moment of hesitation, put the call on speaker. She looked down at the five-inch screen, pulled up the document on the phone, and started reading. At first, the piece was light-hearted, even 'cute,' but quickly (everything goes quickly in a 2500 word one-shot), the plot turned explicit and sexual, and that was when Regina leaned back on her bed, slid out of her jeans and panties, and slipped her hand between her legs.

Emma heard the sound almost immediately, since it didn't take long for the girl's pleasure to bubble over and escape her lips. Given that Emma's phone was on speaker, it came out even louder than normal. At first, as soon as she heard the sound of her own moan, Regina's hand flew up to cover her mouth to block the noise, but listening to the soft moans becoming muffled, the author stopped reading.

"Don't cover your mouth," she said seductively. "Let me hear it."

When she heard the girl whimper in protest, Emma continued where she'd left off, at the height of the piece. Before the two characters could climax in the story, Regina started gasping for air, and her crush's hands began to shake.

"Babe," she whispered. "You sound desperate."

"I am," Regina whimpered back. "Don't stop. Get to the good part."

"I want… I want to do it too."

Regina paused in disbelief, then finally breathed, "Then do it, Em."

So the blonde pulled her pants and underwear down to her thighs, giving her just enough room to slip her own right hand between her legs.

After a few more lines, Regina's moans came quicker and with higher volume, which only served to further kindle the flame between Emma's legs.

"Em… Emma…" the brunette moaned, interrupting her. "I'm gonna… I'm…"

With her left hand still shaking, she held the phone up and tried to keep reading, but at the point of climax in the piece, Regina gasped, "I can't. I can't. I'm gonna… _Fuck!_ "

Emma, face completely red from exertion and arousal, instantly dropped the phone on the bed beside her. Listening to the loudest moans her crush had made so far, the blonde rubbed herself harder until she came, shortly after Regina.

The two lay panting heavily, trying to catch their breath.

When she finally cooled off, at least for the most part, the brunette said, "You didn't finish reading."

"Read it your goddam self. I'm fucking shaking too hard to hold the phone."

"Oh, my God. Me too."

"All I can say is, 'Thank God for speakerphone.'"

"I know, right?" Regina laughed. "Shit. I'm fucking sweating so fucking bad right now," Emma breathed, still struggling to fill her lungs with air.

The brunette laughed at this, having just wiped the sweat from her own brow, and said, "I am too. That was fucking amazing. Your writing… Your _voice_ …"

" _My_ voice? _Your_ noises."

"What noises?" Regina joked, trying to fight the blush flooding back to her cheeks.

"The ones that you moaned so loud it made me come."

" _You_ made you come, silly…"

"No. You made that happen. I touched myself to _your_ noises."

"I… I've never done anything like that before… I've never trusted anyone enough. I never even wanted to with anyone else, really."

"Well, did you like it?"

"I'm embarrassed."

"But did you _like_ it?"

"Yes… I love the sound of your voice. It turns me on so bad…"

"Yours turns me on too."

"I'm glad… You were kinda moaning there too."

"Was not!"

"Were too!"

"Yeah, whatever. Anyway, it's pretty late, and I've gotta work again in the morning. We should get some sleep."

"Wait… Emma…"

"Yeah, babe?"

"Did _you_ like it?"

"Oh, honey. I loved it."

The next day, the first thing Emma texted her crush was, **'I think it should be your turn to read tonight.'**

' **No way,'** Regina texted back, almost immediately (even though it was 6:30 in the morning).

' **Emma: Baby, please?'**

' **Regina: No way, Jose. Not even if you call me baby again (which I love).'**

' **Emma: I'll write for you again.'**

' **Regina: That's not fair.'**

' **Emma: I'm gonna write for you anyway. I'm not gonna manipulate you into doing this. I just really want you to.'**

' **Regina: Thank you… for not pushing me. I'll… I'll try to write something else.'**

' **Emma: And read it to me?'**

' **Regina: Maybe.'**

' **Emma: Alright. I…'**

' **Regina: What, hun? What's up?'**

' **Emma: Nothing. I just hope you have a good day. Ttyl.'**

Of course, this wasn't what Emma had actually considered saying, but she knew that her actual choice was words was much safer. As soon as she got home from work that night, she opened up a blank document on her computer and began to write.

An hour or so later, she had another surprising 2500 words. This time, with smut from the very beginning. She posted it without calling Regina, but the girl called her almost as quickly as she'd received the email alert.

"You posted already?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"But you said…"

"I said I wasn't going to hold it over your head or use my writing to manipulate you, and I won't. I'm gonna write for you for as long as you want."

"That's not what you said when I didn't want to write for you."

"I know. And that wasn't fair of me, and I apologize. I shouldn't have pushed you into doing that. It was really messed up of me. I don't want you to do anything you're uncomfortable with. I mean, I wanna push you gently outside your safety zone… but… you know… in a sexy, comfortable way."

Regina laughed at this, a little embarrassed, but enjoying the girl's words.

"Thanks, Em. I appreciate that. So you'll understand if I don't want to read tonight?"

"Yeah… I'll be disappointed, but I won't pressure you. I promise."

"Good. Then I'll read to you."

"What? Really?"

"If you still want me to."

"Please, please, _please,_ Gina. I know you're nervous, but it's gonna be _so_ good…"

"Yeah, for you. I'm gonna pretty much die of embarrassment."

"Wait, you're alone again?"

"Uh… Nope. This time I have to keep my voice down."

"Oooh. Naughty girl, being dirty when mommy and daddy are home."

"Shut up, Emma, or I won't fucking read."

"Alright, alright! I won't tease you."

"Good. You better not. Now… do you want it now, or should we wait until we're ready for bed?"

"No… Now," Emma answered quickly. "I mean… please don't make me wait. I've been dying for this all day."

"Yeah?"

" _Yes._ Don't _tease_ , Regina!"

"I never said that I wouldn't tease you. In fact, I told you a few nights ago that two can play this game."

"I know, but I stopped! It's not fair!"

"Don't whine, dear. Just lay back and enjoy it, alright? And try not to laugh."

"I am _not_ going to laugh."

"Yeah, yeah. Sure you're not."

"I didn't laugh at you last time, did I?"

Regina paused, then replied, "Well, no… I guess not."

"I fucking loved it. I ate that shit up like candy."

"Wish you'd eat _me_ like fucking candy," the brunette mumbled, which Emma quickly picked up on.

"What did you just say…?"

"I said I want you to fucking _eat me,_ Emma Swan," Regina husked, suddenly made more confident by the sound of shock and desire in the girl's voice.

Emma went silent on the other end of the line, completely stunned by what she'd just heard.

"Gina?" she finally asked shyly.

"What?"

"I… Did I imagine you saying that, or did you say that?"

"Say what?" Regina teased, making Emma's face hot with embarrassment.

"I… N-Nothing."

"You didn't imagine it, idiot," the brunette laughed, a big smile spread across her lips.

"Then say it again. Just… Just so I'm sure I heard you right."

"You heard me right."

"Gina, say it…"

"I said, 'I want you to eat me out.'"

"This is crazy," Emma suddenly blurted out. "You can't be serious. This is a joke, right? You're just fucking with me?"

"Why would you say that, Emma?"

"Because no one has _ever_ said those things to me…"

"Maybe that's because you're a hermit and you never go out anywhere."

"How the fuck would you know that?"

"Because you're never not online. It's barely ever taken you more than a few minutes to respond to one of my reviews or private messages."

"I have a phone, you know!"

"The point is, you're gorgeous, and charming, and honestly… the real reason is that you shut people out. I can tell. It's part of who you are. We both know that. That's why you were so hesitant to talk to me. To tell me anything."

"Well I let you in pretty quick, didn't I?" Emma snapped, scowling at the phone.

"Emma, come on. Don't be like that. I just meant-"

"Yeah, I know exactly what you meant."

"Stop it! No you don't!"

"Yeah? What did you fucking mean then?"

"I just meant… It's not that people aren't attracted to you, or that they don't want a chance with you. It's that you're scared to give anyone that chance. Except, for some reason… me…"

"You're goddam right I am. And you know what? I'm fucking scared to let you in too. I can't even believe the shit I've said to you. What I've done with you. It just… It just fucking _comes out._ I can't even stop it. Around you, I'm a complete and total fool. I make an ass of myself on a regular basis, and it's fucking pathetic. You must think I'm a loser, since I'm such a hermit, like you said."

"Emma, please… Don't take it that way. I'm… I love you exactly as you are. You're perfect. There's nothing I would change about you. And, to be completely honest, I'm glad that you're closed off."

"You… You what?" Emma gasped.

"Oh, shit… I just meant… I didn't mean… I just…"

"Oh. You didn't mean it that way. Of course. I… Yeah."

"Wait. Emma…"

"I gotta go."

"Hey, don't. Don't bullshit me. You know just as well as I do that you don't have to go and you're just running away from your feelings. Running away from me. If you honestly don't want to talk to me anymore, just fucking be an adult and say so."

"It's not that! I just… For a second, I thought you meant…"

"I…"

"It's nothing. Nevermind, okay? Let's just… Wait, why are you glad I'm closed off? Isn't that… I don't know… annoying or something?"

"It's difficult. I will say that. Because I want to be close to you, and you make it kind of hard. But I'm glad that you are that way, because… because it means, for some weird reason, that I'm special to you, and that… that this isn't something you do with other people. That what we have is… unique…"

"I… Oh."

"That's dumb, isn't it? Yeah… That's dumb. I, uh…"

"No, it's not dumb. I… You _are_ special to me, and this _is_ unique. I've never had this with anyone else. We got so close, so fast, and I just feel like… like I want you to know everything. I'm scared to say the hard stuff, but I… I want you to know me, for who I really am. I'm terrified that when you find out what I'm really like, you'll bail."

"I'm not gonna bail, because I believe that the girl you've let me see is the girl you really are, and anything in your past is in your past now."

"You really believe that?"

"Well, am I wrong?"

"No… I mean… I guess not."

"Am I wrong or not?"

"My past still affects me. It makes me who I am."

"It doesn't define you. You can be whatever you want to be. Whoever you want to be."

"All I want is to be the person you want to be with."

"You _are,_ Emma. You already are."

Once they ended the call, all Emma could think about was, _I love you exactly as you are._ They'd both even forgotten about Regina reading her piece. Every syllable poured through her mind like thick, warm blood, lingering in every corner that it touched. Those thoughts went on for days, especially when they spoke. A few weeks later, Emma realized that the video chat they'd been planning a while ago hadn't happened yet.

"When are we gonna video chat?" she finally asked. "You forget about it?"

"No, I… I got nervous about it so I kinda… let it drop…"

"Why are you nervous?"

"Well, I don't know… I feel like I'll freeze up and not know what to say. It's different, talking when someone's looking at you."

"Don't you wanna see my face when you flirt with me?"

"I… I hadn't thought about that, actually… I'm… Em… Are you free to chat now?"

Emma laughed, answering, "Yeah. If you are. My hair's messy and I look like shit, but I'll pretend that it's not and I don't."

"I'm gonna hop in the shower, make an account, and sign on, okay? Gimme like thirty minutes."

"Oh, no way. If I'm gonna look like this, you have to-"

"Ha. Ha. Very funny. I'm disgusting and my hair is also a mess, so I'm getting in the shower, and if you can't wait… then oh, well."

"Brat."

"Jerk."

"Twat."

"Hey!"

"Too much?"

"Too much. Bitch."

"Cock."

"Dildo."

"WHAT?! Don't call me a fucking dildo!"

"What?! It was the next logical insult!"

"In what goddam way?"

"I dunno. It's what popped into my head next."

"Oh, so you talk to me and think about dildos?"

"Emma!"

"Do you?"

"Well, I… I mean, no, but…"

"But what?"

"I have. You know… like… before. Once," Regina confessed. "Maybe twice."

"Oh, that's GOLD!" Emma cried, clapping her hands, since her phone was on the desk, set to speaker.

"Don't fucking laugh at me!"

"Want me to confess something too?"

"Well, duh. You fucking better, after that bullshit. Twat."

"I'm waiting until you're online. I wanna see your face when I tell you."

"Ugh! Fine. Whatever. I'm getting in the shower. I'll talk to you soon."

"I'll _see_ you soon, darling."

"Yeah," the brunette said, and Emma could hear the smile in her voice.

"Bye, sweetie."

"Bye."

As soon as she hung up the phone, Emma immediately raced to the shower. Normally, the shower itself took about thirty minutes. (Guilty pleasure. Whatever.) But she knew she didn't have time, so she rushed through it and was out in twenty minutes. She considered blow-drying her hair, but knew she didn't have time for that either, and that, if she started, it would only be half-done by the time she was supposed to be online. Instead, she used a towel to squeeze out most of the water and let her wavy locks of blonde hair fall over her shoulders.

Nearly having a heart attack from the anticipation, Emma threw on a tank top and a pair of tightly-fitting shorts, then looked at herself in a mirror.

"Shit!" she cursed. "Bra!"

So she peeled off the tank top, quickly put a bra on, and pulled the tank back down. Unfortunately for Regina, the girl's choice of outfit was particularly flattering to her figure, especially her arm muscles and toned abs.

As soon as Regina sent the friend request on the chatting program, Emma accepted it with shaking hands and made the call.

"H-Hi," Regina stuttered, giving the camera and awkward wave.

"Oh, my God," Emma breathed. "You're in a fucking towel."

Regina blushed, pulling the dark purple towel tighter around her body, accentuating further the shape of her breasts.

"And you're wearing half an outfit."

"Hey!" the blonde cried. "That's not true! This is a perfectly acceptable outfit."

"Yeah, for the bedroom. With your girlfriend. And no one else."

"A little jealous that I've worn this in front of other people, are we?" the girl teased.

The brunette scowled at the camera and crossed her arms over her chest.

"No. You're just barely wearing anything and I was pointing it out. Besides, I doubt you've worn that in front of anyone. You're too modest for that."

"Modest! Ha! That's hilarious. At least I'm not naked in a towel!"

"Who said I was naked underneath this?"

Emma stared at the screen, a little dumbfounded.

"Well… I dunno. Why else would you wear a-"

But her mouth fell open as soon as she saw her crush get out of the seat and drop the towel to the floor, exposing a black, strapless bra and a matching pair of lace panties.

"Oh, holy shit," Emma breathed, her mouth closing but watering. "You are _so_ brave. And so, _so_ beautiful…"

When the girl sat back down in the computer chair, the lower half of her body disappeared below the camera, leaving only her bra for Emma to stare at and drool over.

"Babe…" the blonde said softly. "You're fucking _gorgeous_."

"Shut up, punk. I just figured I'd… you know… show you a little something to keep you around."

"Wait… what?"

"I just… want to keep you wanting more…"

"Regina! I do want more, but you don't… It doesn't have to be like this."

"You're… I'm not… I'm sorry," Regina muttered, quickly pulling the towel up and back around her body.

"No, wait… Gina, it's not like that! I just don't want you to feel like you have to take off your clothes to get me to stay. I'm here for you, not your body."

"I… No one's ever said that to me before…"

"Well, I'd like to think you'd not showing off your body to anyone else."

"Of course not! Em, you're the only girl I'd ever want to show myself to…"

"You're _gorgeous_ , babe. And sexy. I'm basically drooling. But what's most important to me is that you're comfortable."

"I was scared to do it, but I… I wanted to make sure I caught your attention."

"Regina. I'm not interested in anyone else. I'm interested in you."

When Emma saw her blush, she smiled, asking, "You blushing, babe?" even though she knew that the girl was.

This just served to make the girl's cheeks a brighter shade of red, and Emma relished the effect her words had produced.

"I think you are," the blonde said softly, leaning forward towards the camera and exposing her cleavage, which was exaggerated by the tightly-fitting tank-top.

"So what if I am?" the brunette snapped defensively. "It's your fault, anyway. Blame yourself."

"I like making you squirm. You said that to me once, and I realized how true it was for me too. Watching you squirm is pretty much my favorite extracurricular activity."

"I am _not_ an extracurricular activity, Miss Swan!"

"No, but making you squirm is."

"Yeah, whatever. Twat."

"Pansy."

"Dildo."

"Stop it!"

But Regina just burst into a fit of laughter, doubled over her laptop, until her cheeks turned red again and the towel slipped back down to expose her covered breasts.

"Gina…" Emma breathed, completely captivated by the sight.

"Yes, love?"

"Lean in a little more?"

"Emma!"

"Oh, come on… Please?"

Giggling, Regina adjusted her bra to better expose her own cleavage and leaned in a little closer to the camera, allowing Emma to see almost everything.

"Shit, babe," the blonde gasped. "You're-"

"Hush. Don't say it. I hate it when you say that."

"I bet you don't. I think you like hearing it. That I think you're beautiful. Every girl does. But it's truer for you than for most."

"Em…"

"It _is_ true. You're the most gorgeous girl I've ever seen."

"I…" Regina started, then trailed off. "I like that tank-top… White looks good on you."

"Yeah? And purple looks good on you. And off you. And so does black. I'd like to see how good that bra looks on my bedroom floor, though…"

"Oh, my God. Emma Swan, that was the most horrible pickup line I've ever heard."

"Well, whatever. I tried."

They both laughed for a while, until the brunette finally requested, "Lean in for me?"

Instead of allowing herself to acquiesce to the girl's request, Emma reached down with crossed arms and slowly pulled the tank top off and over her head.

"Oh, wow," Regina gasped. "That's… You're… You're _ripped._ "

Emma laughed at this and shook her head, "I go over and chop wood for my parents sometimes. Kinda shapes me up a little, I guess."

"No, really… You're… That's…"

"What?"

"I seriously just wanna slide my hands over your abs and just fucking…"

"Just fucking what, Gina?"

"Just… fucking… fuck you."

It was Emma's turn to blush, and she immediately regretted the fact that she was video chatting. As quickly as she could, she turned off the video function, leaving the microphone on.

"Hey! Hey, come on! I let you see me squirm!"

"Alright, alright," Emma sighed, wiping a bead of sweat from her forehead, then turning the video back on.

"It's cute, you know... When you blush."

"Nah. I look silly."

"Hey… Don't be embarrassed. I really like it."

Emma looked up at the screen and managed a small smile, asking, "You do?"

"I do," Regina replied. "But listen, we should probably get to bed. I've got a lot of paperwork to do in the morning, and you probably have to work."

"I… um… okay."

"Hey, it's not that I don't wanna talk, alright? It's just that we both need sleep. Besides, you're snippy in the morning when we talk and you aren't rested."

"Hey!"

"What? It's true!"

"Ugh. Fine. Whatever. Anyway, sleep well, alright? I…"

"Em?"

"Huh?"

"Say it…"

"Say what?" Emma asked dumbly, pretending she had no idea what the girl was asking for.

"Please say it."

"Say what?"

"Say what you were just about to say when you stopped yourself."

"I… I can't," the blonde told her, looking down at the keyboard of her laptop. "I'm scared."

"I don't want you to be scared, but I want you to be honest."

"Honest about what?"

"About… About how you feel…"

"And how is it you think I feel?"

"Emma, stop fucking around!"

"Jesus. Sorry."

" _Please,_ Emma. Say it."

"I can't, Regina. I'm sorry. I should go."

"You know what?" the brunette snapped. "Fine. Fucking go, you coward."

Emma immediately regretted her decision to end the call.


	4. Chapter 4: You Really Are

As she shut the lid of her laptop and slipped under the covers of her bed, Emma squeezed her phone tightly to her chest, just praying it would buzz, signaling a text from the girl she'd become so crazy for. The message didn't come in the next forty minutes, so she fell asleep clutching the phone in her fist. Around three AM, she woke the sensation of vibration in her hand.

Groggily, realizing it was a phone call and not a text, and that it was from Regina, she slid her finger across the screen to answer it.

"Gina? What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"I'm done fucking around."

"Um… What?"

"I said, 'I'm done fucking around.'"

"What does that even mean?"

"It means that if you can't say what we both know, after all this time, then I'm not doing this anymore."

"What the fuck, Regina?! Why does it have to be me?"

"If I didn't know you meant it, that you were thinking it, and that you almost said it, I wouldn't be calling you right now at three in the morning to yell at you. But I'm done with this. I've given you so much, and if you can't give me this…"

"Okay! Gina, don't… don't go, okay? I… Just… Give me a minute, okay? I need-"

"Emma. Say it."

"I… I fucking love you, okay?! Jesus Christ! This isn't how I wanted to tell you!"

"What?"

"I wanted to wait! I wanted to tell you when you got here!"

"But that's-"

"I got the week after next off from work. I was going to tell you about the time off tonight, but you pushed, and I froze up. I wanted to fucking say it in person. I wanted to kiss you when I said it. To hold you."

"Oh, shit… Em, I'm so sorry… I didn't realize… I just thought… I thought you were getting cold feet about us…"

"How can I get cold feet when you set me on fire, Regina? My heart burns like a phoenix in a flame every time you speak or breathe… or moan… and then it happens all over again."

"Oh, Emma…"

"I wish you'd have just fucking let it go. This was a stupid fucking way to tell you."

"I'm _really_ sorry, Emma. If I'd known…"

"If you'd known, it wouldn't have been special. It was supposed to surprise you. To catch you off guard."

"I'm… I'm so sorry. I really fucked up. I shouldn't have pushed you. God, I feel like an idiot…"

"Yeah… Me too."

"I should… I should let you get back to sleep."

"Wait… Regina…"

"Aren't… Aren't you…"

"Aren't I what?"

"Nothing. Goodnight."

"Okay… Goodnight, Emma."

The call had only been ended for about thirty seconds before the phone rang again.

Emma answered it quickly, asking, "Gina? You okay?"

"I love you," Regina blurted out quickly. "I love you, I love you, I love you. I'm sorry. I got scared and embarrassed."

"I… Really?"

"Of course! Don't be a twat. I'd never say that if I didn't mean it. I wouldn't lie to you about that."

"But you'd lie about other things?"

"No! I just meant especially not that."

"Gina?"

"Yeah, babe?"

"Say it one more time."

"I love you, Emma."

"I love you too, Regina."

In the morning, her first text from Regina was, **'I love you even more today.'**

So Emma texted back, **'Why?'**

' **Regina: Why? Because I love you more every day.'**

' **Emma: Aww, baby… You're too cute. You just made my whole day, my little ray of sunshine.'**

' **Regina: You're my ray of sunshine too, honey. Video chat later?'**

' **Emma: You betcha. I love you.'**

' **Regina: I love you too, Princess.'**

' **Emma: Oh, yeah! Don't forget…'**

' **Regina: Huh? Forget what?'**

' **Emma: That you're beautiful, my queen. Absolutely stunning. More gorgeous than the stars.'**

' **Regina: You're a sap.'**

' **Emma: And you're a goddess. Ttyl.'**

' **Regina: Have a good day, darling.'**

' **Emma: You too.'**

That night, as Emma walked through her front door, her phone rang. When she saw that the call was from Regina (and not from anyone she didn't want to talk to), she answered it quickly and dropped her bag on the kitchen table.

"Hey, babe. What's goin' on?"

"EMMA!" Regina screamed. "EMMA, VIXX IS COMING TO BALTIMORE FOR THE EARTH DAY SHOW. THEY'RE PERFORMING WITH FUCKING USHER AND FALL OUT BOY AND NO DOUBT!"

"Shut the fuck up. You're bullshitting me right now."

"I am not! I sent the flyer to your email! Go look!"

Running to her bedroom and throwing open the lid of her laptop, Emma sat down at the computer chair. As quickly as her internet speed would allow, she checked her inbox and quickly found the email, opening the attachment immediately.

"OH MY GOD!" the girl screamed. "I'm gonna fucking die! IT'S FREE?! WE HAVE TO GO!"

"FUCK, dude, I KNOW!"

"Oh, my God… Jaehwan and Taekwoon and Wonshik… OH MY GOD!"

"Em… It's next weekend!"

"THAT'S PERFECT! You were gonna come down anyway, right? Just take a plane and we'll meet in D.C.!"

"I can't believe this is fucking happening. They NEVER come to the U.S.!"

"I KNOW! Oh. My. GOD!"

Suddenly, Regina burst out laughing and managed to say, "We are SUCH fucking fangirls!"

"I know… and I _so_ don't care!"

"I know, right?! We should buy out plane tickets now, while we can still get 'em sorta cheap."

"Well… there goes my college fund," the brunette laughed.

"Nah, babe," Emma protested. "I got this."

"What…?"

"I'll buy 'em. Your birthday is next month anyway."

"How the hell do you know that?!"

"Um… It's on your Google Plus profile…?"

"Oh. Shit. Right. Ha… I knew that. ANYWAY, no you are _not_ buying my plane ticket."

"Oh, shut up. It's a birthday present for my girl. What's wrong with that?"

" _Your_ girl?"

"Well… I dunno… I mean… I thought this was exclusive…"

"It is! I just didn't think it was 'official.'"

"Do you want it to be?"

"I think it's kind of a given if we're saying 'I love you,' don't you?" Regina replied with a smile.

"Alright, cool. See? Now you really are my girl, which means I get to buy you whatever the fuck I want. How's that?"

"Emma, no!"

"Emma, yes!" the blonde cried happily, sitting down at her desk. "Get on video chat so I can see that pretty face while I order these tickets, yeah?"

"Alright… but I'm still mad at you."

"That's fine. You can punish me in the hotel room."

She hung up the call and immediately started the video session, as soon as she'd opened her laptop, and was surprised to find her girlfriend – officially now – once again wearing only a bra and underwear, which she could see, since the girl was sitting a little ways back from the camera on her bed with her legs crossed.

"Wow. Somebody's looking extra hot today," Emma said slyly, grinning at the camera.

"Oh, hush. Don't be dumb."

"Don't call me dumb, jerk."

"Don't call me a jerk, ass!"

"Don't call me an ass, twat!"

"Don't call me a twat, c-"

"WHOA. You stop right fucking there, missy. Too far. Don't you say it."

"Cupcake?"

"Yeah. Nice save."

"I was just trying to be funny…"

"Mhmm. Hilarious. Now make it up to me."

"Huh?"

"You heard me. I want you to make it up to me."

"For what? I didn't say it!"

"But you were gonna, before I stopped you."

"Well, maybe… but I didn't! You can't punish me for something I didn't do!"

"But the state can punish you for _attempted_ murder?"

"Only if I was black," Emma grumbled, kicking one of the legs of her desk.

"Oh, my God. I KNOW, right?! It's such fucking bullshit! The racism in this country is _disgusting!_ "

"I know. I wish there was something I could do to help. I mean, with all the riots… and Ferguson… It's horrible."

"I know, babe. I wish there was something we could do too. I think our best bet is to stay out of trouble, though, you know?"

"Yeah. Turn the other cheek. Look away. Pretend it's not happening?"

"Emma, I didn't mean it like that. I just meant rioting in the streets isn't helping anything."

"Yeah? Well, maybe it is. Maybe it's exactly what this country needs. A full-on revolt."

"Emma, that's… What you're talking about… It's dangerous…"

"It's even dangerous to _say_ that, now. This country has gone to shit. You wanna move to Canada?" Regina laughed lightly and shook her head, then Emma added, "Nah. I'm just playin'. You have to register your guns in Canada."

"Don't be stupid. You have to register your guns in Massachusetts, too."

"Yeah, well… Whatever. You don't in Maine."

"What the hell do you need a gun for, anyway?"

"I dunno. Protection from my government?"

"Emma," the brunette sighed. "You're being ridiculous. You're not going to revolt against the government."

"Maybe not. But somebody should."

"Not you."

"Well, why not?"

"Because you'll get fucking killed by the goddam cops or National Guard! And I'm not gonna let you risk your life over some fucked up government and police politics!"

"Jesus, Regina… Calm down. I was just talking…"

"You were talking about potentially getting hurt, and I'm not going to stand for that."

"No. _You_ were talking about getting hurt. _I_ was talking about using my gun to revolt against the government."

"Your _what?_ "

"My… uh…"

"There's no way you have a license for that. You're 21 years old and have no reason to own one."

"That's bullshit! It's legal! I just… you know… shouldn't conceal it."

" _Shouldn't_ conceal it?! Emma! Are you kidding me right now?!"

"I… uh… Not… Not really… No."

"EMMA FUCKING SWAN!"

"Hey, I like that middle name! It's hot, don't you think? Makes me sound like a hooker."

"Oh, for fuck's sake! Do you carry a concealed weapon without a license or not?!"

"Well… kind of."

"What do you mean _kind of?_ "

"Well, it's in the trunk of my car when I'm… you know… driving… but, uh…"

"Emma, if you get caught concealing a weapon without a license, they will put your sexy ass in jail!"

"My _sexy_ ass, huh?"

"Oh, shut up. Don't be a smartass, you little snot-rag."

"Don't be a prissy-pants, pansy."

"Don't be a brat, twat."

"Don't be a jerk, pumpkinhead."

"Wait, what? Pumpkinhead?"

"Uh… I dunno… It was all I could come up with."

"That's pathetic."

"Yeah… Oops."

"Fucking dildo."

"GOD DAMMIT REGINA!"

Of course, this just served to make the brunette burst out laughing, holding her stomach as tears formed in her eyes.

"Shut the fuck up!" Emma cried. "I am NOT a dildo!"

"Yeah, but you _are_ a twat!" Regina cackled, throwing her head back as the uncontrollable laughter made her shake.

"Fuck you, Regina Sparklypants Mills. I'm signing off!"

This sobered Regina immediately, and she looked at the camera in shock, but she had to try hard not to laugh at the middle name she'd just been given as she pleaded, "Hey, don't! I'm sorry! I won't… I won't call you a dildo."

"You know what? You're a cockmaggot."

"What the hell is a cockmaggot?"

"It's the little drop of precum that comes out of a guy's-"

"EMMA!"

The blonde exploded into her own fit of laughter and also found tears pooling in her eyes. She wiped them away quickly, but couldn't wipe the smirk off her face as she finally calmed herself enough to speak.

"Yeah, sorry. No, wait… No, I'm not. Cockmaggot."

"I hate you," Regina laughed, sticking up her middle finger at the camera.

"Love you too, babe," her girlfriend teased. "Alright, seriously, though. I gotta buy these tickets. Help me pick a flight."

"Just go with whatever's cheapest, honey. I don't want it to be expensive."

"I've got plenty of money saved up. It's gonna be fine. Let's just pick a good time to fly out and go with that."

"Alright. Well, we should probably leave early in the morning the day before, so we can find the hotel and get acquainted with the city a little bit. I've never been before."

"I hear there's lots of great restaurants nearby in Annapolis."

"Yeah, I've heard that too. Anyway, just pick the flight you want. Do you want me to fly out of Portland and meet you down there, or do you want me to drive to you and then take the plane with you?"

"I think it'll be easier for you if you don't have to drive almost four hours in the middle of the night to get to me. Let's just take separate planes there."

"Well… um… What about the plane back?"

"Aw, shit. I didn't even think about that. I guess we'll just have to stay the whole week in Maryland, then, so we don't miss out on any time together, cause if we fly back here, the only way you'd get home is if I drove you… Oh, wait! Maybe we could do that, and I could just refuse to let you leave."

Regina giggled, shaking her head with a smile.

"Very funny, Em. Seriously, though. My mom's not going to want me gone for more than a week. Unfortunately, you can't keep more for longer than that."

"Yeah? What if I just buy this ticket now and you get stuck with me?"

"Don't be an asshat, Emma. Just let me go back to Portland. I promise I'll drive down to see you soon, alright?"

"How soon?"

"Honey, I don't know. Whenever we can both get out of our obligations."

"I don't care about my obligations. I care about you."

"You're not being realistic."

"I also don't care about being realistic. I care about-"

"Me. I know. Stop being a brat and just listen to me. We both have things in our lives we need to take care of. I can't just up and leave my parents, and you can't just up and leave your job. I'm going to see you in a week, and after that, I'll come back as soon as I can. Okay?"

"Yeah, whatever," Emma grumbled, looking away from the camera. "Fine."

"Don't pout, baby," Regina cooed, her voice suddenly soft and low. "What if I told you I have and idea that'll cheer you up?"

"Then… I might be interested," the blonde replied, lifting her head to see the mischievous grin on the girl's face.

"Remember that piece I said I'd read you, and then we both kind of forgot about it?"

"Uh… yeah… You chickened out. Where's this going?"

"I didn't forget. I was waiting for the opportune moment, which I think… is right now…"

"Wait, what?! You're gonna read to me?"

"Only… Only if you stay on video chat with me."

"Oh, _hell_ no. I am _not_ letting you watch me masturbate via the internet."

With a laugh, the brunette replied, "I was just kidding, Em. Hang up on here and I'll call your cell."

"Now?"

"Yeah. Why not?"

"I dunno. I just figured we'd do it around bedtime."

"Aww! Bedtime? Nine o'clock?"

"Hey! Shut up! I just meant _the time we go to bed_. Gosh."

"You'd better not tell me to shut up again, or I won't call you."

"No, no, no, no, no!" Emma pleaded. " _Please_ call me!"

"Oh, alright. I _guess_ I'll still call you. Even though you're being a twat."

"Don't tease me!"

"Oh, I'm gonna tease you, Emma. I'm gonna tease you tonight until you come."

The blonde, exasperated, quickly screamed, "COCKMAGGOT!" and ended the video call, then dialed the girl's number on her phone. To her surprise, Regina still answered.

"Cockmaggot that's gonna make you come, huh?" the girl teased, without waiting for Emma to say anything. "Lay down and take your clothes off."

A little shocked by the girl's demanding tone, but enjoying the way it sent shivers down her spine, Emma did as she was told. Once she'd stripped and laid down on the bed, she waited for the next set of instructions.

"Are you naked?" Regina asked, when there was silence.

"Yes…"

"Are you laying down?"

"Yes…"

"I'm gonna read, and you're not gonna call me a cockmaggot again, or this will be the last time I ever help you orgasm. Is that clear?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Then shut up and put your hand between your legs."

Of course, Emma's mouth hung agape after this command, completely surprised at the way Regina was taking control, but again, she did as she was told, not moving her hand once it was tucked between her thighs.

When Regina started to read, her voice was slow and seductive, but more importantly… it was confident, and that was the first time it had ever sounded that way to Emma. That being the case, though, Emma was wet just a few lines into the story. By the middle of it, the panting blonde was unable to keep her hand still any longer, and she began to move her fingertips gently over her clit, and then into her core.

As Regina took a breath between paragraphs, her girlfriend moaned, "I want this to be you, baby."

The brunette stopped and listened to the sound of Emma's labored breathing, then finally answered, "Me too, honey. Now shut the fuck up and let me finish you, and the goddam story."

Trying hard not to laugh at her own demands, she continued to read, until just before the end, when Emma couldn't hold back the moans escaping her lips.

When the noises came more quickly and became more frantic, Regina knew the girl was about to come, and stopped in the middle of the literal climax of story to ask, just to torture her and drag it out, "You gonna come, baby?"

"Finish it, Gina. Tell me what happens next. God, this is… so dirty…"

"I know, love. And I know that's how you like it. Filthy and raunchy…"

"Babe, _finish it_ ," she pleaded, moving her fingers with a little more force.

Regina read the last, exceptionally explicit paragraph of the story, as Emma touched herself more forcefully, and let herself come as the girl's voice filled her ears.

"How was that, darling?" the brunette cooed, knowing full well that her girlfriend had certainly made the most of the new experience.

"Baby, that was… that was so, _so_ good…"

"You finished just in time, huh?"

"Yeah… That was perfect."

"You're right. You are perfect."

"Oh, come on, Gina. Don't-"

"Don't fight me right now. Just relax… Take some deep breaths. Enjoy this."

"But I… I gotta… I gotta buy the tickets… and book the hotel… and…"

"That can wait until morning, baby. You don't have to do it now. Do you really wanna get back up after that?"

"Well… No. Of course not. My legs are still shaking. I'm sure they'd be Jello if I tried to stand up."

"Good. Just wait til I really get my hands on you. Then, I'll really make you come."

"Regina! Jesus. What's gotten into you tonight?"

"I don't know. I guess it was the way you stared at me when you first saw what I was wearing. And wasn't wearing. I just… I could tell you really wanted me, and I knew if I got over my fear and did this for you… that it would make you come."

"Yeah, but you were so… fierce."

"And did you like that, Emma?" the brunette, her voice low and seductive again.

"I… Yeah. I really, _really_ did."

"Good. And don't worry. I haven't forgotten about your little 'cockmaggot' outburst, and the fact that you hung up on me."

"But I-"

"I may not be punishing you tonight, but I can promise you that I will."

"Oh, _God_ , Regina…"

"I'm not God. Just a goddess. But thanks for the flattery."

"Smartass."

"Watch your mouth, twat."

"Watch yours, c-"

"Emma," Regina warned, her tone serious, and almost dark.

"Sorry."

"Sorry, what?"

"Sorry… Regina?"

"Try again."

"Oh. Oh! I'm sorry, my queen."

"Better. Now get to sleep. I don't want you grumpy in the morning after our little escapade."

Regina couldn't see it, but Emma was blushing – not to mention sweating.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good girl. Text me about the flights, once you book them."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Rest well, my angel."

"Goodnight, my ray of sunshine. I love you."

"I love you too."

In the morning, Emma was the first to send a text.

' **Emma: Good morning, babe. Just woke up. Booking the flights now.'**

' **Regina: How you feeling? Rested?'**

' **Emma: Slept better than I have in weeks. Thank you, my queen…'**

' **Regina: You are welcome, but you're still going to be punished for your little outburst.'**

' **Emma: I look forward to it. Your departure from Portland is at 5:35. Sorry it's so early but it was the only way I could get us there around the same time. Mine leaves an hour or so later.'**

' **Regina: You're the best. Thank you again for treating me… though I wish you wouldn't.'**

' **Emma: Honestly, Regina, I want you to be able to go back to school and pursue your dreams. I don't want you to be held back by something as stupid as finances. Besides, we're gonna celebrate your birthday early by doing something special.'**

' **Regina: Yeah. Seeing VIXX, right?'**

' **Emma: That too, but I've also got other plans.'**

' **Regina: Emma, they better not be expensive. You're already paying enough for this trip.'**

' **Emma: Nothing is too much for Your Majesty.'**

' **Regina: Emma, seriously.'**

' **Emma: Regina, seriously.'**

' **Regina: Ugh! You're a brat. Chat me tonight.'**

' **Emma: You got it, babe.'**

They video chatted more that night, and the following nights, for the rest of the week, until finally, it was the night before their departure.

"You excited, honey?" Emma asked cheerfully, looking at her girlfriend's moving image on the screen.

"Of course!" Regina replied, smiling brightly. "But…"

"But what, babe…?"

"I'm nervous. To finally meet you. You know, in person."

"I'm not a serial killer, if that's what you're afraid of," the blonde laughed.

"No, it's not that… It's just… What if I don't know what to do? What if I it fuck up? I feel silly."

"You're not gonna fuck it up. We're gonna see our favorite group, and we're gonna have a great time. You don't have to feel silly. Okay?"

"Okay…"

"I can't wait to see you, sugar."

"Me either."

"Alright, well, we better turn in. We've both gotta be up early tomorrow. Especially you."

"Yeah… Em?"

"Yeah, baby."

"I love you. I really hope you like me as much in person as you like me over the internet."

"Regina! I'm going to love you when I meet you in person, just like I love you now."

"I look better on camera than I do in person…"

"My queen, you are flawless. Not to mention, it doesn't matter what you look like. I'm not with you because you're hot. Even though you are."

"Oh, come on. Emma, don't-"

"Shh. Get some sleep. I'll see you tomorrow. I'll be there at the airport when you land. Make sure you bring plenty of clean underwear, 'cause I'm gonna get 'em wet."

"Emma!"

"What? I am. That's the whole goal of the trip, babe. Who cares about VIXX?"

"Oh, my God. Shut up. You're such a turd!"

The blonde winked at the camera, then said, "I love you."

"I love you too. Goodnight. I'll see you tomorrow."

When they ended the call, their hearts were racing.

The next day at the airport, Regina threw up in the bathroom before boarding the plane, and again once they were up in the air. Her nerves had clearly gotten the best of her. By the time her plane landed in D.C., her heart palpitations were even more severe, but just when she thought she might throw up again, she was hurried off the plane by the flight attendant.

As promised, Emma was waiting for her at the baggage claim. As soon as she saw the girl, and the golden hair that bounced around her shoulders, the butterflies took over. She only froze for a moment though, until the tears started to fall, and then ran as fast as she could towards the girl she'd fallen so hard for, crashing into her arms as Emma ran to meet her.

The blonde lifted her off the floor, spinning her around, and causing the girl to drop her carry-on bad on the floor. She let out a squeal of half-protest, half-delight as Emma set her back down on the ground.

"Oh, my God…" Regina breathed, fully and unabashedly staring at the beautiful girl in front of her.

Without removing her arms from around Regina's waist, Emma said, "You're even more beautiful in person, Your Majesty."

But Regina, suddenly far less brave than she was from hundreds of miles away, blushed and turned her face away. Emma dipped her head at and angle to catch the girl's lips and reached up to thread her fingers in the brunette's hair.

"Oh, God, you're perfect," Emma whispered, kissing her lover's lips over and over, until a passerby made a rude remark about 'filthy lesbians' and walked away. Regina looked startled, until the blonde said, "Don't listen to him, babe. He's just an old grump. Probably a cockmaggot."

Regina laughed, wiping the tears of joy from her eyes, and kissed her girlfriend once more before claiming her larger suitcase from the conveyer belt behind them.

As they walked out of the airport, Emma told her, "The hotel is in Baltimore, so we'll have to take a cab. That okay?"

"Of course, honey… That's… That's fine."

"What's the matter, babe?"

"I'm… You're gorgeous…"

"Oh, hush. Don't be a c-"

"A what, Miss Swan? What do you have to say?"

At first, Emma felt the familiar pang of fear as Regina's eyes flashed with the promise of punishment, but once she'd considered the consequences of her actions, she said, "Cockmaggot," and swallowed hard.

To Emma's surprise, Regina just smiled brightly and clapped her hands together, saying, "I can't wait to get to the hotel!" as they threw their suitcases into the trunk of the taxi that had just pulled up to the curb.

"Oh, shit," Emma muttered as she slid into the back of the car beside her girlfriend. "I'm really gonna get it now, aren't I?"

"Oh, you bet you are, Miss Swan. You _really_ are."


	5. Chapter 5: In a Good Way

Once they got back to the hotel, they unpacked some of their things, putting clothes in the drawers and toiletries in the bathroom, then each sat down on the king-sized bed.

"So… Which side is mine?" Emma asked playfully, not sure what else to say.

"The one you're sitting on, I'd assume. Unless you want this one."

"I think we'll both pretty much be spending our time in the middle, don't you think?" the blonde teased with a wink.

When Regina started to look nervous again, Emma leaned over, gently turned the girl's head, and kissed her lips.

"You wanna try out this bed, pretty lady?" Emma asked her, placing her hands on Regina's hips.

"I… I'm… Maybe we should check out the venue? You know… Just to see what it's like?"

Emma, slightly taken aback by this, nodded her head and quickly dropped her hands to her sides.

"Yeah. Let's… Um… Let's go."

As the blonde made for the door, her girlfriend quickly grabbed her hand.

"Hey," she said. "It's not that I don't want to. I just… I'm nervous about tomorrow."

"What do you mean?"

"All the people, in a space I've never been before. It'd make me feel better to see it first and kinda prep myself, you know?"

"Gina… Do you have social anxiety?"

"No!" the girl nearly shouted, pulling her hand away. "I just… don't like crowds, okay?"

"I… Have you ever been to a concert before?"

"Um… Not really."

"Not really, or no?"

"No…"

"Then this is gonna fucking blow your mind. And maybe not in a good way. There's gonna be a shitton of people here. There's tons of people performing – most of them will be here to see the other groups – so the crowd is gonna be crazy. If I'd realized that you-"

"Hey, don't. I'll be fine. I'm just nervous. Can we please just go and check it out before tomorrow?"

"Yeah, babe. We'll go right now and then grab something to eat. I think that's a great idea."

So the two visited the venue, which was basically just a huge stage outside, and scoped the place out.

"Do you want to be up front?" Regina asked the girl cautiously, as they stood in front of the stage.

"Not if you don't. If you wanna stand in the back where there's less people, I'm totally fine with that."

"I want… I wanna see them up close."

"I kinda do too. I wanna see Jaehwan's sweat."

Regina laughed at this and kissed her girlfriend's cheek.

"I love you, babe."

"I can't believe you're here," Emma sighed, turning to face the girl and pulling her into her arms. "I can't believe this is real."

"It's real, honey. I'm here. I just wish I didn't have to leave at the end of the week…"

"See! I fucking told you. You should've just let me steal you forever."

"Forever…?"

"Oh. I mean… I just meant… You know. So you don't have to leave."

"Ever."

"Well, yeah."

"Meaning… you want to _keep me…_ forever."

"I…"

Suddenly, a grin spread over the brunette's lips as she leaned in to kiss the girl.

"I want you to keep me forever too," she whispered as they pulled away from each other.

"Good. 'Cause I plan on it. Now, let's go get some food. I'm starving."

"Me too. I kind threw up before the flight. And on the plane…"

"What? Babe, are you okay? Are you sick? Do you need to lay down? Can I get you anything?"

"Emma!" Regina laughed. "I'm fine. Just nervous. I'm better now, since you've kissed me. And don't worry, I brushed my teeth on the plane after."

"They let you bring toothpaste?"

"It was small enough. Just a little travel-sized tube."

"Wow. Alright then. Anyway, I'm sorry you got sick. Maybe some food and some ginger ale will settle your stomach a little."

"Yeah. Maybe you're right."

After the meal, though, as they walked back to the hotel room, Regina suddenly became nervous again. When she felt her palms start to sweat, she quickly pulled the one that was in Emma's hand away and wiped it on her skirt.

"Hey, what's wrong?" the blonde asked, looking concerned at the sudden loss of contact.

"N-Nothing. I'm just… I'm… just… kinda… sweaty."

"Babe…" Emma said, stopping in her tracks to look her lover in the eyes. "Are you nervous again?"

"Uh… terrified, more than nervous, really."

"But why?"

"Because… Because I know what you're gonna want to do when we get back, and I'm scared to do it."

"Regina, honey… We don't have to do _anything_ when we get back, if you don't want to. We can just relax and watch TV or whatever you want to do."

"Yeah, but that's the thing… I do want to. I just don't know how."

"Well, you certainly know how to turn me on and make me come already, so I'm not sure what you have to worry about," Emma told her with a smile.

"It'll be different, when it's me touching you, and not… you touching you… You know how to touch yourself, but I don't know how to touch you."

"You know how to touch yourself, though."

"Yeah, so? It's different when it's someone else."

"Well, sort of. I mean… it's the same… you know… spots. The same triggers. I mean, not for everyone, but for most girls, it's the same stuff."

"Well, everyone has their kinks, don't they? And I don't know yours."

"What happened, babe? You were so confident. So ready to _punish_ me. Why are you scared now?"

"I'm all talk, Emma. It was fun to tease you. To play the part of a demanding queen. But I'm really just some girl who doesn't know what she's doing."

"You may not think you know what you're doing, but you're definitely not 'just some girl,' especially not to me. To me, you're the world, Regina. Besides, I don't care if you know what you're doing. No one does at first. You know that. We can just figure it out as we go."

"You mean you don't really know either?"

"Well, like you said… It's a _little_ bit different with every person, it'll be different with you."

"Then what makes you so confident about all this? Why aren't you scared too?"

"Wanna know a secret?"

"Yeah."

"I am."

They walked quietly back to the hotel room, holding hands, even though Regina was embarrassed about the small amount of sweat on her palms. When they got there, Emma sat down on the bed again and watched as Regina followed suit. The girl's face was drained of color, and Emma could see, once she sat down, that her hands were shaking.

"Babe… I'm serious. We really don't have to do anything. I'm perfectly fine just holding you."

"But I gave you all that build up… I practically tortured you…"

"Well, yeah. But blue balls are definitely not gonna kill me. What's important to me is you, and that you're comfortable. Do you understand that?" When Regina nodded weakly, she continued, "Let's just get in our PJs and lay down, okay? We gotta get up early tomorrow to get there before all the other crazies."

Flashing a nervous smile, Regina stepped into the bathroom to change as Emma changed in the main room. Since Regina finished brushing her teeth and changing her clothes first, she quickly reappeared in the bedroom just as the blonde was pulling on the tightly-fitting shorts they both loved so much (Emma, because they were comfortable, and Regina, because they were sexy and showed off the girl's ass). Emma brushed her teeth next, then returned to find her lover already under the covers, watching her as she approached the bed.

When Emma hesitated, Regina asked, "You gettin' in, or what?"

"Yeah," the girl replied with a smile. "I'm gettin' in."

As soon as she was also under the covers, Regina wrapped her arms around the blonde and rested her head on the girl's chest.

"Thank you, Emma," she said softly, pressing a chaste kiss to her collar bone. "This means a lot to me. All of it."

"You're welcome, baby. Anything for you."

The alarm on Emma's phone went off at 4:30 the next morning, but she found herself unable to untangle her legs from her lover's.

"Gina?" she whispered. "Gina, baby, I gotta get up."

When Regina stirred awake, Emma was smiling brightly at her, and as soon as she opened her eyes, she was kissed softly on the lips.

"Good morning," Regina whispered, moving away with a small smile as Emma broke the kiss to shut off her alarm.

"Good morning," the blonde said, turning back to her lover and kissing her again before slipping out from under the covers. "You can go back to sleep for a bit, if you want. I just kind needed you to untangle us so I could get up to shower. I'll wake you up when I'm done?"

"No. That's okay. I'm gonna make some coffee."

"Alright. We gotta be outta here by 5:30, alright? If we wanna get up close, that is. If you changed your mind, but it's fine if you changed your mind about that, though."

"I didn't change my mind. I wanna be close, at least for Vixx. Then we can move to the back while everyone else does their stuff."

"That sounds like a plan, sunshine. I'll be right out."

For once, Emma didn't take long to shower. What did take a while, though, was for Regina to take her eyes off of Emma's muscular figure as she came out of the bathroom in only a bra and panties.

"Well, don't stare, silly," Emma scolded her with a playful smile. "Get in the shower."

Regina didn't take long in the bathroom either. By the time she was out, Emma was ready with her shoes on, and just had to wait for Regina to blow-dry and fix her hair.

At exactly 5:25 – Emma was checking her watch – Regina stared in the mirror and said, "I look awful."

"Oh, my God, Gina. You look great. We gotta _go_ , though. Like now."

With a sigh, Regina conceded and followed Regina out into the hallway. Of course, they were some of the first people at the venue, even though it was downtown, in the middle of most of the action, since that hadn't really started yet.

"Ugh," Emma groaned. "Thank God we're here early."

Regina nodded and placed a kiss on the girl's cheek, then looked around at the few people standing somewhat near them.

When Emma saw that she looked apprehensive, she asked, "You okay, hun?" earning another nod from her lover. "Alright. Just let me know if this gets to be too much, okay? And… if… God forbid… we get separated… I want you to meet me back there-" she gestured to a large statue in the very back of the open field "-by the monument. It's far enough away that there should be some space to move around a little easier."

"What…?"

"Honey, people get crazy at concerts. If we get separated, I want us to have a safe place to meet up." When her girlfriend looked nervous, she added, "It's gonna be alright. No matter what happens, I will always find you, okay?"

Regina nodded weakly and squeezed the girl's hand.

People began to gather shortly after that, crowding the stage and getting a little to close to Regina than she was comfortable with, so Emma wrapped a strong arm around her shoulders, pulled her closer, and held her there.

"Vixx is going on first. I think they're only doing one song, but we should probably leave after that. I think it's gonna get a little bit-" she stopped to pull out her phone, which was placed securely in the front pocket of her jeans, when it vibrated against her hip "-crazy."

When the color drained from Emma's face, Regina quickly asked, "What? What is it?" When she didn't reply, the brunette pressed, "Emma?"

"Gina… There's people starting to protest downtown."

"Protest what?"

"You didn't hear about this? A young guy was taken into police custody a little while ago. The cops gave him a severe back injury, but they wouldn't get him medical treatment, and he died. Today is his funeral. I didn't think… I didn't think there'd be protests or I wouldn't have brought us here."

"Emma… What the hell are you talking about?"

"Fuck!" Emma yelled as her phone buzzed again and she read the notification from CNN on the screen. "We have to get out of here. NOW."

"Emma, what's going on?" Regina asked anxiously as her girlfriend began to tug her away from the stage.

"They're starting a riot. We need to get back to the hotel, or we're about be right in the middle of it."

"Oh, my God! Are you serious?"

Emma showed her the notification on her phone, and just as she was about to slide her phone back into her pocket, another notification popped up.

' _Two officers injured in Baltimore riots. One police car on fire.'_

"Oh, shit!"

"Emma, what-"

But just as she was about to finish her sentence, Emma pulled her further away from the stage and walked quickly to get out of the field. Once they were back near the street, Emma looked around for a cab, but didn't find one, or any other moving car for that matter.

"Shit," she cursed again. "They must be blocking off the streets. We've gotta get out of here."

When they saw the flood of people – hundreds of them – walking down the street in their direction, Emma's heart stopped.

"Em-"

"Stay close, babe. It's gonna be okay. We're just gonna slip into a back street and try to stay as far away from it as we can."

But the streets were full, and Emma soon realized that those hundreds of people had quickly become thousands.

"Emma…"

"I got you, honey," Emma told her, squeezing the girl tighter against her side as they walked slowly towards hotel (and towards the edge of the crowd). When her phone buzzed again, she handed it to Regina without looking, so she could watch the path in front of them, and said, "Check it."

The brunette read out loud, _'7 officers injured in riots. Businesses looted and burned.'_

"Fuck," the girl's lover hissed as they reached the angry crowd.

When Emma tried to push and slip past a few people in her way, pulling hard on Regina to keep her close, their hands became unlocked, and Regina quickly disappeared into the mob.

"Emma!" the girl cried out, stumbling backwards as she was pushed aside by a few livid protesters.

The blonde's head whipped around in every direction, desperately searching the crowd, but Regina had been pushed too far away for her to see or reach. By then, the blazes had reached some nearby streets, and Emma could see the flames and smoke from where she stood, pressing her back against the closest brick building. Standing on her tiptoes to see as far above the other people's faces as she could, Emma finally spotted her lover at the other end of the block.

It was Emma's turn to shove people out of the way, this time roughly and without mercy, as she stormed down the sidewalk towards the girl she'd come to love.

"REGINA!" she screamed, finally reaching her after knocking over a tall, buff, older man standing in front of her. "I've got you, baby. It's okay. Let's get the fuck out of here," she said, wrapping her arms around the girl to let her know she was safe. "I'm not gonna let you go again. Keep your arm around my waist."

So the two stayed as close to the walls of the buildings as possible, clinging tightly to each other as they tried to push past the edges of the mob and running into extra trouble when they crossed each street. As soon as Regina tripped and fell, scraping her knees on the sidewalk and nearly falling into someone else, Emma screamed her name and crouched down to grab her and pull her back to her feet.

"I got you!" she told the girl quickly. "You're okay."

But Regina's knees were bruised, scraped, and bloody from the fall. When Emma tried to lift her up, her legs went out from under her as she stumbled again.

"It's alright," Emma told her. "I'm right here. You're gonna be fine, but you gotta stand up. We'll get you cleaned up as soon as we make it back to the hotel. Just hang in there for a few more blocks. We're almost there, baby."

Just then, when Emma looked up and to her left, she saw a small flood of cops entangled and fighting with some young men, using their batons to force the protesters back.

"Oh, shit," Regina gasped. "We are so-"

But before she could finish, Emma yelled, "We _can't_ get caught up in this! Fucking RUN, Regina!"

Emma shoved her hard, desperate to get the girl to safety as she held onto her hand and followed her as they fought through the crowd of angry people. When they _finally_ reached the hotel room a few blocks down, they were both out of breath, and as they pushed the door open and stumbled into the safety of the lobby, Regina collapsed in a chair, put her hands on her thighs, and doubled over.

"Shit," the blonde gasped. "You okay, babe?"

"God, that fucking hurt," the girl sighed. "I don't think I've ever taken a fall that hard."

"Yeah, you went down pretty strong there… I'm just glad you're alright. Let's go upstairs and get you cleaned up, though, huh?"

"I don't… I don't wanna take the stairs. It hurts to bend my knees."

"That's okay, baby. I'll carry you to the elevator."

"Don't be ridiculous. I can walk. It's just… stairs are-"

"Not a problem for me. I'm carrying you. Now, let me help you up, and get into my arms!"

Suddenly, seeing the smirk on Emma's face, Regina realized that it wasn't just a gesture of caring. The girl was showing off.

"Take it easy there, Muscles. Wouldn't want to bust a bicep or burst right through that tank top, huh?"

Of course, Emma blushed at this, realizing that her lover had quickly picked up on her subconscious desire to impress her.

"I just… I just didn't want you to have to-"

"Why don't you show me just how strong you are, soldier?"

"Don't call me that right now. I'm ashamed of this fucking country and the rampant racism that's pervasive throughout our government."

"I… I'm sorry… I was just teasing. I shouldn't have said that. I just wasn't thinking. I'm-"

"It's alright, love. Besides… I don't want to be your soldier. I want to be your knight in shining armour."

With that, Emma gently scooped the girl out of the chair and cradled her, bridal style, to the elevator, and all the way down the long hallway to their room, and then into the bathroom.

Sitting her down on the edge of the bathtub, she said, "Take off your shoes and socks. I don't want to get them wet incase the water drips on you."

"I… I can take care of myself, Emma. You don't have to-"

"I want to. Let me take care of you."

When Regina went quiet and removed her shoes and socks, silently conceding to the request, Emma grabbed a washcloth from the shelf above the sink. She wet it with lukewarm water, then knelt in front of her girlfriend and gently dribbled some of the water over the deep scrapes on Regina's knees. Being that close to the woman, she noticed blood on the girl's shorts.

"Gina?" she asked anxiously. "Where else are you-"

"I'm fine. It's just my palms, from when I caught myself."

"I'm sorry, baby. I wish I could have kept this from happening," the blonde sighed. "I also wish I could help all those people being hurt right now. To do something to calm this insanity."

"Maybe you were right, Emma. Maybe this does need to happen, to show our government that this kind of police brutality won't be tolerated."

"What? You really think that?"

"Seeing the way the police were acting just now? Yeah. Those people were angry, but the cops clearly advanced on them first. I get that they were trying to stop them, but that kind of violence and excessive use of force is unacceptable. I'm tired of hearing about black kids being killed by cops. I'm tired of listening to it happening and just _hoping_ that it stops, but doing nothing about it."

"There's nothing we _can_ do, without getting hurt or arrested."

"That's not what how you felt the other day."

"The other day, I didn't see my girl almost get trampled by an angry mob and a bunch of vicious cops!" Emma shouted, standing up. "I'm not going to risk you getting hurt again!"

"Emma, you didn't know this would happen. You couldn't have known."

"That's not true. I knew about this kid's funeral. I just really didn't think it would come to this… But honestly, I don't blame the protesters. I just wish these young people could do this without _violence_ , you know? I'm sure there's looting going on too. It's crazy, and it's not the way to change our government. Protesting is one thing, but burning cop cars… that's another. Still, it's the cops who used excessive force."

"Then again, it's not like they could just watch the city burn. I'm not surprised that they're-"

"Hang on," Emma cut in, grabbing her phone that she'd just felt vibrate in her pocket, then read, _'The president has declared a state of emergency and will call in the National Guard. Curfew of 10pm to 5am affective as of tomorrow night.'_

"Holy shit," Regina breathed. "Anyway, I'm not surprised they're calling in the National Guard. The last thing they want is _white_ civilian casualties."

"Ugh! This is so revolting!"

"I know, babe. It's crazy."

"I'm just glad we made it back alright. That was nuts."

"Yeah," the brunette agreed, then hissed, "Ouch!" when Emma resumed cleaning the wounds on her knees. "That hurts, dammit!"

"Just be glad it's not hydrogen peroxide. That'd fucking sting. I'd use it if I had some. Honestly, I'm worried it's gonna get infected. I should ask the front desk if they have a first aid kit with some band aids and alcohol wipes."

"Emma, no! I'm fine!"

"Yeah. Alcohol wipes. Good idea. I'll be right back. Don't move, okay?"

So Emma hurried out of the room, only taking about five minutes or so to return with what Regina immediately identified as the alcohol wipes.

"No! Nuh-uh. No way. That's gonna hurt like I bitch and I don't wanna-"

"I don't care what you 'wanna,' you little punk," the blonde teased. "I care about taking care of you."

Frowning, turning around, and placing her feet in the empty tub, Regina pouted and tried to keep her wounds away from her lover. Emma was quick, though, and hopped right in the tub and faced the brunette.

"Hold still."

"No!" Regina cried, trying to push Emma's hands away, but failing to do so, since the other girl was stronger.

When Emma used the wipe to clean her bleeding wounds, the brunette cried out from the pain of it.

"That fucking hurts!" she shouted, as the girl moved on to her other knee.

"I know, babe," the blonde sighed. "I'm sorry, but I have to do this. If they get infected, I'll never forgive myself."

"Well I'll never forgive you if you touch me with that alcohol wipe again!"

"Fine. Be angry. Pout about it. I don't care. No matter what you say or do, I'm gonna take care of you. You can hate me, hit me, whatever you want. But I'll never stop taking care of you."

She looked down quickly and wiped more blood away from the scrapes on the girl's knees, and when she was finished, she looked up into Regina's eyes and saw the tears there.

At first, she thought they were from the pain of the stinging alcohol cleaning the cuts, but Regina managed to say, "You really love me, don't you?"

"So, so much."

"Emma…"

"Don't you love me too?"

"Of course I do!" Regina cried. "Why would I be here with you if I didn't?!"

"I… I just… I just didn't know if things had changed for you at all, now that this is… you know… real."

"It has changed. My heart explodes every time I look at you or hear your voice up close. I mean, it was like that before, but not… not this bad. Now, I… I can't… I can't take my eyes off of you. I can't hold it in."

"I can't either. I feel the exact same way, Gina, and I-" when her phone buzzed, she looked down, then read the notification out loud " _-The president: Those responsible for Baltimore violence should be treated as criminals; U.S. needs soul-searching._ That's from CNN too."

"Oh, what the _fuck_. He's fucking serious right now? They're gonna fucking shoot him."

"If he doesn't show a little more sympathy, they might. I hope to God they don't though. Nobody – _nobody –_ deserves to die over this."

"It's too late for that. The kid's dead already, and there's nothing anyone can do to bring him back."

"But they can get revenge."

"Don't say that like it's a good thing."

"That's not what I meant. I just feel like… I don't even know. I just hate that we got caught up in this. That we had to be here _now_ , you know? That the concert had to not happen _now._ "

"I don't care about the concert, Emma. I care about your safety, and I'm just glad we got out of there when we did. It's only going to get worse from here."

"Guess we're ordering from the café here for lunch and dinner, huh?"

"It's no big deal. Now that we've missed the concert… I'm kind of okay staying in and just… spending time with you. You know?"

"Yeah," Emma replied with a smile. "I get that. Anyway, are you hungry yet? It's almost lunch time."

"Yeah. I could go for some food."

"Let's order it to be brought up, okay? I don't wanna see any more of this shit happening first-hand. I'd rather watch it on the news and pretend we're not right in the middle of it all. I don't want to pretend it's not happening. I just want to pretend that this vacation is going perfectly. I really am sorry about Vixx, though, baby… I know how bad you wanted to see them."

"You're right. I did want to see them. But you know what?"

"Uh… No. What?"

"I wanted to see you more, and I got to do that. Today was a little crazy… and maybe tonight will be too. But in a good way."

Emma raised an eyebrow, but when Regina smiled at her, she leaned in and kissed her softly.

* * *

 **A/N: Just to put this into context, this piece was written shortly after the Baltimore riots in April of this year. They really happened. Also, VIXX did come to perform in Baltimore for Earth Day on April 18th, and the show went great. In actuality, the riots took place a few days later.**


	6. Chapter 6: Not Yet

Emma pulled away slowly, and when she did, Regina let out a soft, contented sigh, which made the blonde smile.

"Let's check out the menu and order some food, yeah?" she asked.

"Sure."

So Emma grabbed the hotel's menu off the nightstand and opened it, holding it between them so the other girl could read it with her.

"Salad's good for me," Regina told her.

"You kidding? I'm getting the burger and fries."

"No… I'm not kidding. Why?"

"I dunno. Salads are just… crispy water…"

" _You're_ crispy water!" the brunette cried, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Nice insult, babe. One of your best. Crispy. Fucking. Water."

"Twat!"

"Brat."

"Cooch."

"Vaginal discharge."

"Wait, what?!" Regina said, bursting into laughter.

Emma laughed too, holding her stomach as she doubled over.

"I dunno," the blonde told her, between gasping breaths. "It was the first thing that came to mind."

"The first thing that comes to your mind when you think about me is vaginal discharge?"

"What? No! I just… I was trying to think of an insult. It sounded better in my head."

"Oh, yeah? And were you trying to be less offensive, or more?"

"Well, I…" Emma started, then realized quickly that the question was a trap, and said, "You're beautiful…"

Regina laughed again, shaking her head and shoving the girl's shoulder.

"You're such a twat."

"I'm gonna call for food. We both know this could go on for hours, if we let it."

"Yeah, yeah. Alright…" the brunette said, then added, "Brat."

After shooting a scowl shot in her lover's direction, Emma picked up the phone and called the hotel's kitchen to order their food.

Until it arrived, Emma flopped back on the bed, and Regina pulled out a book from her suitcase.

"Nerd," Emma teased, placing a hand gently on her lover's back.

"Hands off, twat!" Regina shouted, slapping the girl's hand away.

With a laugh, Emma just rolled over onto her side to face the girl, who was already turned away with her face in the book.

"It's cute…" the blonde said softly, dragging her fingers from the girl's neck, all the way down her spine.

Once Emma's hand landed flat on her lower back, Regina shivered, and Emma felt it.

"Oooh," she cooed. "You like that, babe?"

"Shut up," Regina hissed, but her next statement was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"I'll get it!" Emma said happily, rushing over to the door, glad for the distraction.

She paid the young man for the food, thanked him for bringing it to them, took the plates, and shut the door. When she turned back to Regina, the girl was still scowling.

"I don't like being teased," she said sternly.

"But I liked teasing you."

"I think you like making me sweat."

"How'd you guess?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe the way _you_ moan, when I do?"

"Hey, shut up. That was one time!"

"Haha. Yeah right. That was _several_ times, and you know it."

"Yeah, well… Maybe. Anyway, let's eat. I'm starving now."

When she was finished eating, Regina immediately stood up and hurried to brush her teeth.

"You okay?" her lover asked, concerned by the girl's sudden rush to the bathroom.

"Fine, babe," she answered, with her mouth full of the toothbrush and a large amount of toothpaste.

Once she'd spit out the mouthful of toothpaste, she said, "Just making sure my breath doesn't reek."

"From salad?"

"It had dressing!" Regina whined, reappearing in the main room.

"Yeah, whatever," Emma laughed. "Guess I should brush mine too. Mine meal was way worse than yours."

"You don't have to-"

"I want to. Just in case you kiss me."

With a wink, Emma took her turn in the bathroom. When she returned, Regina was laying back against the pillows with her book open again, engulfed by its pages.

"Babe?" Emma asked softly, then waited for a response. When she didn't get one, she said, "Regina?"

"Huh? What? Sorry. I was-"

"Reading," the blonde giggled. "I know."

Regina blushed as Emma crawled onto the bed beside her on the right, then placed her left hand on the brunette's abdomen. Again, the girl shivered.

"Babe," Emma breathed, looking up into her eyes.

Not saying anything else, Regina simply dropped the book, not bothering to save her page, pulled Emma on top of her until she was kneeling over one of her thighs and her mouth was hovering above the brunette's red lips.

"I want your lipstick all over me," the girl's lover whispered.

" _All_ over you?" Regina teased, flashing a bright, mischievous smile.

"All over me."

"Let's start with your lips."

So Regina kissed her firmly on the mouth, making it last, until Emma's lips parted. She hesitated for a moment, not having gotten this far before, but slowly slid her tongue along the girl's bottom lip. Emma brushed her own tongue against her lover's but didn't press further, until, to her surprise, Regina's tongue pushed past her lips and into her mouth. The blonde opened it a little wider to allow her access, and the brunette, still a little apprehensive about her own skills, moved her tongue a little more forcefully as it tangled with her lover's.

"Babe," Emma moaned, pressing her body closer and cupping Regina's face in her hands.

"Yeah, honey," Regina managed to say between kisses and heavy breaths.

"This feels so good."

"I know… Your lips… Your tongue… It's so perfect. They're softer than I every could have imagined."

"Kiss me," the blonde whispered, moving her lips even closer to Regina's, but not making them touch.

The brunette leaned up just enough to catch Emma's lips, then slid her fingers through Emma's hair and gently pulled her closer, not breaking the kiss as the girl leaned down to get a little closer. As soon as she heard the sound of her lover's soft, hushed moan, Emma felt her wetness pool between her legs.

"Shit," she breathed. "You're…"

"Shh. Don't stop."

So Emma kissed her, this time harder than before, as Regina's hands moved to her back. When she lifted the blonde's shirt and dug her nails into the skin of her shoulder blades, though, it was Emma's turn to moan, and as soon as the brunette heard that, her own grew louder. Unintentionally, Regina lifted her leg, just enough to create friction between Emma's, and the girl gasped when she felt the sensation.

"Gina," she moaned. "Wait…"

After she'd swallowed hard once and caught her breath, the brunette slowly gained the courage to rock her hips forward, just slightly, so that her thigh rubbed against the space between Emma's legs.

"D-Don't," Emma whimpered.

But Regina lifted her thigh slightly once more, earning another, louder moan from her lover.

When the girl said, "Please, don't," though, she finally stopped, her brow furrowing.

"Why, babe? What's wrong?"

"I can't… I'm… You're… You're making me wet, and I don't… I don't wanna push you, but it feel so good, and I-"

"Em," Regina whispered. "I want to. I'm scared, but I want to."

"Gina, I… I think we should wait a while. Until you're sure."

"No… Babe… I am sure."

"Gina, come on. You're just turned on and thinking with your hormones right now."

"Hey, shut up!" the brunette cried. "I'm not fucking-"

"Yes, you are. Tell me you're not horny right now."

"Of course I'm fucking horny! You were fucking-"

"You're not thinking with your head. I know you think you're ready right now, but you weren't twenty-four hours ago. Don't jump into this like that. Let's just take it slow, okay? I don't want you to regret anything. Especially… Um…"

"Especially what, Emma?"

"Especially not your first time. Losing your virginity is-"

"I'm not losing it, Em. I'm giving it."

"No, you're not. Not right now. Not like this."

"Not like what?"

"Not twenty-four hours after you were throwing up because you were so scared to meet me!"

"I love you, Em! And I-"

"I love you too, baby. That's why this is so important to me. And it should be important to you too. You can't take it back."

"I don't want to take it back! I want you to-"

"Regina Mills. Stop it. Stop it right now."

"Look, if _you're_ not comfortable with it yet, or if _you_ don't want to, then just fucking say so, but don't fucking make my choices for me. Don't decide what I do and don't want, or what I should do."

"I…"

"No. I don't want to hear it. Unless you're gonna tell me that _you_ aren't ready, I don't want to hear what you're about to say."

"It's not that. I trust you. I've completely fallen for you. It's just that this feels so wrong. To take it from you so soon."

"You're not taking! I'm giving! Why can't you understand that?"

"Look. What it comes down to is that, no matter what you're saying, I'm saying no. And that's it. No."

"You know what? That's bullshit," Regina snapped, shoving the girl off of her. "You're not my fucking mother."

"You'll thank me, Gina. You will. I can promise you that you'll be glad you waited."

"Fuck you."

"You're really gonna say that, just because I won't fuck you right now? Because I'm trying not to hurt you? Because I'm trying to do what's best for you?"

"Because you won't _make love to me_ right now. And how the _fuck_ would you know what the fuck is best for me? I'm twenty-three years old. I'm a grown-ass woman, and I can make my own choices. The only legitimate reason you could possibly have _not_ to make love to me right now is that _you_ aren't comfortable or _you_ don't want it. And I _know_ that you want it. I heard it in your voice. The way you moaned for me…"

"Stop it! Stop trying to fucking guilt me into this!"

"Maybe I'm not trying to guilt you, Emma…" Regina said softly, her voice taking on the low, familiar tone that she'd used over the phone so many times. "Maybe I'm trying to seduce you."

The girl climbed onto Emma's lap, then reached out and slid her hands under the girl's tank top, lifting it swiftly up over her head, then quickly leaning in and pressing her lips to the bare skin of the blonde's toned abs.

"Fuck," Emma moaned, letting her head fall back against the pillows. "Gina…"

"See? You want it too."

"I… I…" the girl started, but was cut off and cried out as she felt the warmth of Regina's tongue sliding from the top of her shorts, up the middle of her abs, and all the way to the bottom of her bra. "Oh, _fuck._ "

"Yeah, babe?" Regina husked. "Does that feel good?"

"Gina… Gina, please stop…"

But Emma sounded less than convincing, so her lover repeated the action, this time finishing with a kiss on her collarbone.

"Just let me love you," the brunette whispered in her ear, sliding her hands up the girl's sides.

When Regina's tongue found its way to Emma's neck, the blonde yelled, "Stop it!" and finally mustered the strength and willpower to sit up and push the girl away. "Enough!"

"Jesus, Emma. I'm sorry. I was just trying to-"

"I said _no._ That needs to be enough for you."

As Regina saw a tear drip from Emma's eye, she immediately recanted, saying, "Oh, God. I'm so sorry… I don't know what I was thinking. I just… I wanted to make you feel good, and I thought-"

"It's fine. Can we just lay down for a while? I need a nap after all that bullshit outside."

"Um… Yeah. Yeah, we can lay down."

But Regina didn't fall asleep. Instead, she buried herself in her book, feeling guilty, as she sat beside her lover on the bed while the girl fell asleep. Twenty minutes or so later, when Emma woke up, the brunette was still reading.

"Bookworm," the blonde mumbled with a small smile as she rolled over and wrapped her arm around her lover's waist.

Regina wanted to smile. She tried to. But her lips refused to curl.

Instead, she simply managed a quiet, "I'm really sorry," and turned her face away.

"No, babe. Don't be. I get it. I really do. You felt rejected by me, and what you needed was to feel wanted. I'm sorry I couldn't give that to you. I just won't take the chance that you'll regret something and be hurt by it afterwards."

"I… I get that now. I thought about it, and it makes sense. I was just a complete and total ass. I can't believe I even did that. I never thought I'd be one to pressure anyone for sex, let alone the person I care about most in this world."

"Regina… What?"

"I… I just care about you. That's all. I'd never want to hurt-"

"Most in this world?"

"Well… Yeah…"

"What about your parents?"

"What about them?"

"Well, aren't they-"

"I'm not in love with my parents, Emma."

"I… What?"

"I said… I said I'm in love with you."

Emma stared in disbelief, then finally managed, "Loving someone is one thing. You can love your best friend. But being _in_ love with someone… That's something very different."

"You're right. It is."

"But you…"

"I am."

"Are you… I mean… Are you sure? That's a really big thing to say, and I just… I don't want you to say it because you feel like you have to."

"I know I don't have to. I'm saying it because it's true. I thought about not telling you. About keeping it in for a while, until you said it first, but after what just happened… I realized that it's probably not true for you, and I should just get it out there and let you realize how pathetic I am."

"Regina! That's ridiculous! That's _bullshit!_ I am… I'm…"

"Em…?"

"I'm…" the blonde tried, but the words got stuck. "I…" Not hearing the words she'd allowed herself to hope for, Regina's eyes began to tear, and she looked away again, until Emma _finally_ admitted, "I'm in love with you too. Completely and totally in love with you. I know this moved fast, but I've never felt so sure about anything. Ever."

"Then why didn't you tell me?"

"I was embarrassed. I didn't think you felt that way yet. I wasn't even sure if you ever would."

"Well, I do. I do feel that way. And that's not going to change."

"How do you know that, though?"

"Because I've never felt like this before either. I've never been so sure. But this… I'm sure about this. I'm _positive._ "

"I… I love you," Emma said softly, leaning in and kissing her lips. "And I do want you. I just want to do it right. I want your first time to be _perfect_ , not just good."

"Thank you, Emma… I'm so sorry I pushed you. I never meant to hurt you or manipulate you into anything. I honestly just went kinda crazy and lost control."

"We all do that sometimes."

"No. Not everyone pressures their girlfriend to have sex after they've said no."

"Well… I…"

"You don't have to tell me it's okay. I know it's not. Just… Just tell me you still love me."

"I do. I'll always love you."

The following day, the riot was still raging on, so they continued to stay in the hotel.

"I'm sorry," Emma told her girlfriend. "I wish this hadn't gotten so fucked up."

"It's alright, babe. I'm here with you. That's all I care about."

"But I wanted to walk around… and to see Vixx. To see the sights."

"I know. Me too. But the next time they come, we'll be sure to go."

The blonde scoffed, saying, "We both know that won't be anytime soon. They never come to the states."

"Actually… I was on my phone earlier, while you were in the shower…"

"Yeah, and?"

"And I think you should see this."

Regina reached over to the nightstand and grabbed her phone, swiped the screen to unlock it, then held it out to Emma, who looked down and gasped immediately.

"NO. FUCKING. WAY. Is this even real?!"

"It's real, Em. And I think we should go. And you have to let me pay this time."

"Oh, fuck off. You're not paying. But we are _definitely_ going. GOT7 in L.A.? I'm _totally_ in!"

"Just let me pay, Emma! Let me treat you this time."

"No way, Jose. It's way too expensive, and it's still eleven months away. I'll have plenty of time to save up. It's no big deal. You keep saving for school, alright?"

With a sigh, Regina nodded her head reluctantly and pressed herself into the girl's side, wrapping an arm around her.

"I can't wait," Emma told her. "It's gonna be awesome. And I seriously doubt there will be any riots in Los Angeles."

By the time of their departure from Baltimore a few days later, the riots had calmed down, and it was safe to walk the streets again (at least before the curfew). Once they were in the airport, though, Regina broke down crying at the gate.

"Emma, I…"

"Shh. Baby, I know. But I'll see you again in a few months, okay? You can drive down or I can drive up. Then a few months after that, we'll meet up in San Fran and it'll be perfect. We'll get to see California."

"Yeah, but…"

"Hush. It's gonna be okay. Chat me as soon as you get home, okay? And text me when you land. We'll plan out our next visit when we get back. Don't you wanna see Boston?"

"Of course I do!"

"Good. Then you'll come down in a few months and I'll show you around."

Regina's tears slowed, at least until it was time for her departure, and they shared a slow, painful kiss.

"I love you," she sniffled through her tears.

"I love you too, baby," Emma told her, kissing the top of her head. "Now, get going. Don't miss your flight. We'll talk tonight."

Emma waited anxiously for her own flight, which was a few hours later, eager to get home and talk to Regina as quickly as possible.

Once she did arrive home and opened her laptop, she found that she already had a message waiting for her.

' **Regina: Home safe. Missing you terribly. Chat me soon. I'm dying without you.'**

With a smile, Emma started the call, but as soon as the girl answered, she saw that her lover was crying.

"Babe, what's wrong?" Emma asked her, sounding more than concerned.

"N-Nothing…" the girl managed. "I just miss you so much. I don't want to do this without you."

"Do what?"

"Anything, Emma! Any of this. I don't want to fucking go to work and pointlessly save for a school I'm never going to be able to afford. I just want to be with you!"

"Aww… Baby… Come on. Don't think of it that way. Distance makes the heart grow fonder, right? If that's even possible. I'm pretty sure I'm already 110% infatuated with you."

"And I'm enamored by you. But I'm so lonely here… I didn't want to tell you before, but now that I've seen you, I don't think I'll be able to stand it. My parents, they…"

"They what, honey?"

"They drive me crazy. They make me feel horrible about my life. Even though I love them, it's torture being here, with no friends and no you."

"Honey, it's gonna be fine. You're gonna see me in a few months, and we'll be together again."

"Can't you come up and see me before that?"

"I can't get time off from work again that soon, babe. Plus, I gotta save for our trip. I thought of something really fun to do while we're there, but it's a surprise."

"Isn't a Got7 fan-meet good enough?"

"Nope. I've got one better."

"Oh, come on. The only thing that could be better than Got7 is Vixx, and they're definitely not performing in L.A."

"No, it is better. I promise."

"Yeah, alright. We'll see about that. But I'm telling you, seeing them and seeing you is more than enough. All I want is to be with you again."

"I know, darling. I feel the same way. But you've gotta be strong for me, alright? We gotta get through this together."

With a sigh, Regina nodded and held her head in her hands.

"Babe, come on. Cheer up! We're gonna have a blast, and it's not gonna get fucked up like it did this time."

"It didn't get fucked up. It just… got a little crazy. Besides, we're safe, and that's what really matters."

"You're right. You're safe, and that's all I care about."

"I love you, babe."

"I love you too."

Over the next three months, they talked almost every night. Sometimes about nothing, sometimes about how their days went, and sometimes about their upcoming trip, which was still quite a ways away. But Emma's favorite nights were the ones where they talked about writing. Better than that, the nights when Regina had decided to keep writing, and even agreed to read to her. Those nights, as her lover's voice helped her come, she fell more and more in love.

Three months later, Regina drove to Boston.

Emma waited for her in the parking garage next to her apartment, and stood with arms wide open as Regina pulled in, parked, and threw the driver's door open. Just like the first time they'd met, Regina ran to her lover and fell into her arms. The blonde embraced her and held her tightly, kissing the top of her head before lifting the girl's chin and catching her lips.

"Butterflies all over again," Regina mumbled against her lips, then kissed her again.

"Me too."

"Well?" the brunette asked suddenly, pulling away from the hug.

"Well, what?"

"Well, aren't you gonna bring me inside and ravish me?"

Raising her eyebrows, but taking the hint, Emma lifted the girl into her arms and carried her, bridal style, up the stairs and into her apartment, where she laid the girl on her bed, then straddled her hips.

"Hi, baby," she said with a smile. "I missed you."

"I missed you too," Regina said, kissing her lips a few times. "So, so much."

"I'm so glad you're here."

"Me too."

"So… I sort of have no food in the house," Emma confessed. "But I have a good reason! I wanted to wait and bring you with me to the grocery store to pick stuff out. I'll make you whatever you want."

"I'm happy with simple stuff. Chicken and salad does just fine for me."

"I figure I'll take you out a few nights, but I think it'll be sweet if I make you a meal here… even though I'm not such a great cook. You might die, actually. I'll probably poison you accidentally."

"Oh, God," Regina laughed. "Don't be ridiculous. I'm sure your cooking's fine."

"No, it's _really_ not… but hey, maybe you could give me a few tips?"

"Sure. I'd love to."

So the two continued to kiss, tongues entwining with passion, for a while longer, until Emma finally pulled away.

"It's getting late," she said slowly. "We should get to the store so I can feed you. You must be starving."

Right on cue, Regina's stomach growled, causing Emma to laugh loudly, lean down, and press her lips to the girl's abdomen.

"Hey," the girl scolded her. "Don't do that."

"Sorry," Emma said with a smirk. "Anyway, let's get going."

"Whatever, twat."

"Jerk."

"Ass."

"C-"

"Emma, don't you dare!"

Again, the blonde burst out in laughter as she rolled off the bed and began to put her shoes on. Scowling at her, Regina did the same. At the store, Emma picked out everything her girlfriend suggested and put it carefully in the cart.

"Alright," she said happily. "I think that'll do it for the rest of the week. Anything else?"

" _Ice cream_ ," Regina gasped. "We _have_ to have ice cream."

Laughing again, for the third time that day, Emma nodded and went down the isle, letting her lover pick the flavor, which was chocolate with caramel swirls and mini peanut butter cups.

"You sure this is okay?" the brunette asked her, just before they reached the register. When the girl nodded, she added, "You're gonna let me pay, right?"

"Nope. I got it. You relax."

"But, Em, I-"

"But nothing. Hush up and let's go."

So when they checked out, Emma paid for everything, and Regina helped her carry the bags to the car. The blonde made dinner, which wasn't nearly as horrible as she'd attempted to make Regina believe, and afterwards, the two laid in Emma's bed, with Regina's head on the girl's shoulder.

"It's so good to have you here," Emma sighed. "It makes it feel like home."

"You live here… Shouldn't it feel like home anyway?"

"It should. But it doesn't. Not without you here."

Regina couldn't help but smile as she placed a kiss on the girl's cheek, saying, "You're adorable." Emma shook her head in defiance, but the brunette just laughed and added, "Twat."

"Stop that!" the blonde cried. "I'm so tired of you calling-"

"Twat."

"-me that…"

"Oh, well," the girl's lover teased, her satisfied smirk growing wider.

Their playful banter continued for the rest of the visit, especially as Emma showed her around the city of Boston, until it was finally time to Regina to leave. Once again, she cried while attempting to say goodbye. Her girlfriend tried to comfort her, but ended up crying herself, frustrated by the distance that kept them apart.

"It'll be okay," Emma whispered through tears. "I promise. I'll come up there in a few months and visit, if you want."

"Of course I want you to!"

"What about your parents?"

"I… I want you to meet them, and they want to meet you."

"Wait, they know about us?!"

"Well, I sort of told them you were a 'friend,' when we went down to Baltimore. But when I told them I was going away for another week, they got pretty suspicious, and I had to tell the truth."

"Wow. What did they say?"

"Well, Mom kinda freaked out and wanted to know what she'd done wrong to make me a lesbian… but Dad just laughed and said, 'I knew it,' and gave me a hug. Eventually, he got her to cool it with the anti-homo crap, and now she's just upset that she's never actually met you. They're starting to doubt that you're real. They think I'm vacationing alone and making you up. They're pretty… uh… surprised that I have a girlfriend."

"Uh… Why?"

"Well… For starters, I've never had one before. I had a boyfriend back in high school, but… he… Look, nevermind. That's not the point. The point is, I've never had a girlfriend before, and it's been a long time since I've dated anyone, so they were starting to worry that I was asexual and that I'd never give them grandkids. Now that they're sure I won't, they're pretty upset about that, but… overall, it went pretty well."

"Why didn't you tell me this before?" Emma asked. "And what makes them so sure you won't have kids?"

"I… I don't know. I didn't want to scare you by telling you Mom was totally against it at first. And… I guess just because… because… I don't know. I mean, you can't really get me pregnant."

"Well… I kind of could…"

"What the fuck?"

"You've never heard of artificial insemination? Or being a surrogate mother?"

"Well, yeah, but I… I just hadn't… really… um… thought about it…"

"I can tell this conversation is making you uncomfortable, so let's change the subject, okay? You gotta go, but we can talk about California when you get home."

"Okay…" Regina agreed slowly, wiping the fresh tears from her eyes. "That sounds good. I love you."

"I love you too, baby. I'll come up and see you soon."


	7. Chapter 7: West Magic Way

Emma's visit to Storybrooke went much the same way as Regina's visit to Boston, only without the adventures in a bustling city full of action and nightlife. Instead, Emma found that the small town was quiet and subdued, and that everyone – well, almost everyone – was friendly. Her banter with her girlfriend continued throughout their time together. One night, Emma nearly made the poor girl pee herself from tickling her for so long. (Thankfully, that tragedy didn't end up happening, since the girl stopped _just_ before Regina burst from laughter.)

Like the last two times, their goodbyes were filled with tears and protests, this time especially from Emma, who was the one who had to drive away. As she pulled out of the driveway at 108 Mifflin Street, her tears continued to fall, almost to the point where she could barely see the road. They dried by the time she crossed the town line, but the ache she was feeling didn't go away until she spoke to the girl on video chat when she got home.

"I have to tell you something," Emma said, just as they were about to hang up and go to bed.

"What… What's up, Em?"

"I know we've been doing the every-three-months thing… but I… We really can't this time."

"What do you mean…?"

"I can't take any more time off from work before our trip. I've gotta save up, and I just don't have enough yet."

"Let me help you pay for it, Emma! Come on. I need to see you sooner than five months from now!"

"I'm sorry, Gina. It's just gonna have to wait. It'll be worth it, though. I promise. This trip… um… It's gonna change your life."

"What?"

"Uh… Nothing. Anyway, I'm gonna get to bed. Love you!"

"I… uh… love you too? But you're being weird."

"I'm not being… Okay, listen, I gotta go. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

The days passed like that, with Regina whining about the amount of time they'd have to spend apart, and Emma reassuring her that it would all be worth it when the time came to visit to L.A. Still, the brunette wasn't convinced, and spent a lot of the nights that they chatted crying in front of the camera.

When it was finally time for their trip, though, after much painful waiting, Regina became nervous, like she always was before meeting up with her lover, but she didn't vomit on the extremely long plane ride, and that was an accomplishment. When Emma met her at the baggage claim in L.A., they embraced and kissed each other over and over again, until they had to stop to catch their breath.

"I'm so happy to see you," Emma told the girl.

Her lover smiled back at her and replied, "Me too."

"Do you wanna go to the hotel, or hang out here for a bit?"

"Well… I think we should probably put our bags away and set up."

"Good plan."

"Hey… Wait… If the concert's not until Friday, and it's Monday now… Why'd we come so early?" Regina asked as they slid into the backseat of a cab. "And where are we staying, anyway?"

Emma, suddenly nervous about her girlfriend's reaction, looked away, and when the driver asked, "Where to?" Emma's face drained of color as she replied, "Um… 1150 West Magic Way, in Anaheim?"

"The Disneyland resort?" he confirmed with a smile. "You got it."

"OH MY FUCKING GOD!" Regina screamed. "YOU FUCKING DIDN'T!"

Leaning as far away as possible, up against the door of the taxi, Emma cowered and muttered, "Um… No… I really did."

"Fucking DISNEYLAND, Emma?!"

The blonde was unable to swallow the smile that bubbled over as Regina started to cry and the cab driver began to laugh.

"Oh, come on," she said. "Don't cry, babe… I just… I wanted to do something special! And I figured… you know… since you're a queen and all…"

"You are such a fucking BITCH!" the brunette yelled, tears still pouring quickly down her cheeks. Then, she burst out in laughter, saying, "I fucking hate you, Emma Swan, you sneaky whore."

At that comment, Emma was grinning.

"I love you, baby," she said shyly.

"I fucking love you too, asshole."

As soon as they reached the resort and got out of the cab, Regina started crying again.

"Knock it off," Emma joked. "Behave like you own the place, would you? You're a goddam queen, and don't you forget it."

But the tears didn't stop until they reached their room on the top floor. As soon as the brunette walked over to the gigantic window on the other side of the room, though, the tears came rolling back down her cheeks.

"Oh, my fucking _God_ ," she breathed. "I can't fucking believe you brought me to fucking DISNEYLAND."

"Darling," Emma said, getting on her knees in front of her lover, "you are a queen, and all I want to do is treat you as such. Besides, it's only forty minutes outside of L.A. It'll be easy to get to the concert, when it's time, but it'll be even easier to get to the park tomorrow. Busses run back and forth all day."

"Fuck you," Regina sobbed, dropping onto the bed. "I hate you."

Laughing, Emma retorted, "No you don't. You're amazed, and you think I'm wonderful."

"But, Emma, this is so ex-"

"That doesn't matter, but now you know why I needed the extra time to work and save up."

"You've been planning this the whole time?"

"The whole time. As soon as I got on the plan home from Baltimore."

"You BITCH! Why didn't you just tell me?!"

"Because I wanted it to be a surprise. And you would've tried to get me to cancel."

"Well, yeah! It's so ex-"

"Regina, shut up! I don't care! You told me once, a little while after we met, when I asked you about your username, and being RedAppleQueen, that this was your dream vacation, and that you'd never been. I knew I wanted to take you right then and there – I was completely infatuated with you already – but it wasn't until I got on the plane home that I found a good excuse in the GOT7 concert to bring you here without telling you where we were really gonna be."

"I can't believe you did this!" Regina cried, slamming her fists down on the bed.

Emma grabbed her hands and held them tightly, saying, "Would you knock it off and just enjoy yourself? Please? You're freaking out over nothing. Money is _nothing_ to me. And you're… you're everything."

"Oh, my God, Emma," the girl sobbed, falling into her lover's arms.

The blonde laughed again and pulled Regina closer, holding her tightly.

"I know, baby," she whispered. "I know."

"I love you," the brunette sniffled, continuing to cry from the shock and elation.

"I love you too, my queen."

The next morning, they both got up early, and as soon as she opened her eyes, Regina felt the sting of shock wash over her once again.

"Oh, my God," she groaned helplessly, sitting up in bed, her head whipping around to look at every corner of the room. "This is really happening."

"Yeah, babe," Emma laughed. "It's happening."

"So, we're spending three days here, then the concert?"

"One more day here after that, then going home on Sunday. Sound good?"

"Babe… That sounds _great_."

Another flood of tears found Regina's eyes when they appeared in front of Sleeping Beauty's castle at the front of the park for the first time. Emma just squeezed the girl's hand and smiled, watching her cry and knowing they were tears of joy and disbelief, not ones of sadness or anger.

"You okay?" she finally asked, still smiling, when the girl's hands continued to shake.

"I… Yeah. I'm… No! Fucking hell, Emma!" she cried, turning and throwing her arms around her lover's neck as she fell into her embrace. "I can't believe this is really happening. That we're really here."

"I love you, babe, and I'd do anything to make you happy."

"You don't have to do this to make me happy! Just having you is enough. It's always been enough, and it will always be enough. You didn't have to-"

"I know I didn't have to, babe. I _wanted_ to. Seeing you this crazy happy makes my whole fucking heart explode."

"I am not _crazy_ happy, Emma. I am perfectly calm, thank you very much," Regina joked.

When Emma reached up to wipe her tears, she just smiled and tried to stop crying. The rest of the day was pretty much the same, with Regina crying at random intervals and Emma assuring her that this was what she wanted too, and that Regina was a queen who deserved to be there.

"You ready to meet Snow White and Sleeping Beauty?" Emma asked her as they neared the line to meet the princesses.

"No. No, I am _not_ ready!" Regina cried. "I'm gonna _die._ "

"You're not gonna die," the blonde assured her. "You're gonna be just fine. Elated, maybe. Completely freaked out and in shock, perhaps. But you are _not_ going to die."

"But it's _them._ They're princesses!"

"And you're a _queen_ , Regina Mills. Act like it," Emma teased, nudging the girl's shoulder.

Regina finally smiled at this and followed her lover as they stepped to the back of the line. As soon as they were next, the brunette froze in place, and Emma had to shove her gently from behind to get her to step up.

"Go on, babe," she whispered, then joked, "Go tell her how much you love her! Ask her to marry you!"

Regina turned around instantly and scowled at the girl, who was grinning from ear to ear.

Emma stood close by, watching her lover turn bright red in front of the actress playing Sleeping Beauty. When they hugged, the blonde saw the tears in her eyes.

"Oh, don't cry, sweetie! You're too pretty for that," Sleeping Beauty assured her.

"I'm j-just so happy to meet you," Regina managed to stutter, then looked back at her girlfriend, who was holding her phone up and was obviously taking pictures.

"Give her a hug, dork!" Emma shouted playfully, grinning at them both.

Nervously, Regina hugged the princess and then said goodbye. After that, she took the phone from her lover and took pictures as the blonde got her turn to hug the princess as well. When she'd said goodbye too, they walked to the other side of the enormous room where Snow White was waiting for them both.

"My, my, my!" the princess said at once. "You are _beautiful_ , aren't you?"

Turning even redder than before, Regina shook her head, but Emma immediately interjected with, "Yes, she is, isn't she?"

Snow White nodded and added, "You look quite a bit like my mother. _Very_ gorgeous."

"Y-You are t-too," the shaking brunette stuttered, then gave the girl a hug.

Emma, still grinning, hugged the princess as well, took a few pictures, and held her lover's hand as they walked back outside.

"That was _amazing,_ " Regina breathed, wiping her tears away. "She said I was beautiful!"

"She also said you look like a queen."

"The _evil_ queen," the brunette retorted, but didn't stop smiling.

"You know what?" Emma asked rhetorically. "I think that's hotter."

When she winked, Regina literally had to fan herself with her map of the park just to keep from fainting.

"Whoa, there. You alright?" her lover asked, grabbing her arm to steady her.

"I'm… I'm _great!_ " Regina cried, a smile exploding over her lips.

As Emma kissed her slowly, she started to look once again as though she might faint, so the blonde stopped and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Seriously. Are you okay? Do you want some water? Or, like… a Mickey Mouse ice cream bar?"

"A water would be-" Regina started, but then her jaw dropped before she could finish. "Mickey Mouse ice cream bar?!"

"Well, yeah, silly! Didn't you know they had those here?"

"Oh, God, Emma, that sounds _perfect_ right now!"

"They're coated in chocolate and everything."

"Oh, holy sh-" the brunette started, but when she saw the small sea of little kids brush past her, she thought better of her choice of words and just smiled at her lover as she was pulled along towards the ice cream cart.

Emma quickly noticed that the noises that escaped her lover's mouth while she was eating were surprisingly familiar.

"Jesus, Regina," she laughed. "Don't come in front of all these kids."

"Shut up!" the girl gasped, pulling the ice cream bar away from her lips. "I wasn't gonna… Okay. Maybe. But still. You bought it, so it's technically your fault… Kinda like always…"

"Regina!" Emma snapped, still laughing. "That's not true. You do perfectly fine on your own."

"Actually…" Regina said slowly, leaning in a little closer so that only her lover could hear her. "You're, um… I never… Before I read your writing, I'd never… uh… touched myself before."

" _Bullshit,_ " the blonde said quickly, rolling her eyes. "You're so full of it."

"No, I mean it."

"You said you've watched porn, though…"

"No. I said I _might_ have watched porn. I just said it to rile you up."

"Bitch!"

"Emma! Keep your voice down! There are little kids here!"

Emma grinned and sat down on one of the benches, then took Regina's hand and pulled her down until the girl was sitting beside her.

"They're cute, huh?"

"Yeah… Yeah, they really are."

"You were a little kid today too, you know. Cried like a little bitch when you met your heroes."

"They're not my-" Regina started, then trailed of and instead finished with"-Okay, maybe they are. So what?"

"So nothing. It was just adorable. I love seeing your face light up with complete, unadulterated joy. It's perfect. I want it to be me making you smile like that someday…"

"Babe, you _do._ Every time I see you after we've been apart, my heart fucking explodes and I can't stop smiling. I cry like a little bitch, just like you said."

This brought a smile to Emma's lips as she replied, "I'm glad, babe. That's all I really care about."

The day went by like that, with each of them eating sweets until they both had stomachaches and riding rides until they thought they might puke. They ended the day having dinner at one of the resorts, at Steakhouse 55.

"I swear to God, Regina," Emma warned her, "if you get a salad instead of a steak, I will personally sauté you with my meal."

Regina blushed and laughed, but nodded her head in understanding, then said, "You order for me then. I don't really know much about steak."

"Filet Mignon, for sure, then. The portions or small, but it's the best kind of steak you'll ever have in your life. Especially here. Trust me, I did my research on the restaurants."

"Emma…"

"What? I wanted the trip to be perfect, down to the very last meal."

"It _is_ perfect, Em. It's wonderful. But you don't have to-"

"It's not over yet, babe. I still have some tricks up my sleeve."

"Oh yeah? Like what?"

"Like… Uh…" Thinking fast on her feet, Emma continued, "Like the Blue Bayou in the park tomorrow, and Ariel's Grotto on Thursday."

"Oh, Emma…" Regina sighed happily, reaching across the table to hold her lover's hand.

It was then that the waiter appeared, smiling brightly and saying, "How is the happy couple this evening?"

Completely shocked by the young man's happy and obviously accepting demeanor, Regina just stared, and when Emma realized that the girl wasn't going to say anything, she replied, "We're doing really well, actually. It's been a magical day, to say the least."

"That's what I like to hear!" he said cheerfully. "Are you guys ready to order?"

"I think so," Emma said, returning his smile. "Could we please have two of the filet mignon and your house wine?"

He nodded and wrote down the simple order, then turned away to return to the kitchen.

Once he was gone, Regina flashed a sly smile in Emma's direction and said, "So you're gonna wine and dine me?"

"Maybe. Is that a problem?"

"No… I think I like the prospect of you wining and dining me."

"It's kind of funny… I've never seen you drink."

"I've been drunk a few times on the phone."

"Wait, what?"

"How else did you think I was going to be able to read you all that nasty, dirty smut?" Once she'd gotten the reaction she was looking for, a look of intense surprise on her lover's face, Regina grinned and recanted, saying, "Just kidding."

"You're too much of a goody-goody to drink."

"Well, I'm certainly going to be drinking tonight, aren't I? I wouldn't decline the drink you just bought me, now that you've ordered it. Had you asked, I probably would have."

"Oh… I just figured… I don't know. I was trying to do something sweet… I just figured it might be nice to-"

"I'm just a little shy around alcohol. I don't like the way it makes me feel. I haven't really had a drink since I was sixteen."

"You drank when you were sixteen?!"

"Once. It didn't end well. Actually… It ended with me over the toilet at a friend's house, screaming for my mom, then blacking out."

Emma stifled a laugh and managed to say, "We've all been there once. Or twice. Or a few times."

"I never really pictured you as a drinker, but I guess you are kinda hardcore."

"Oh, my God. That's ridiculous. I'm not hardcore. I was just… kinda… you know."

"Um… No?"

"I drank too much, alright? Way too much. When I was younger. I started at sixteen too. Except I didn't stop after the first time I blacked out."

"Wow, Em… I…"

"Yeah. It's shitty. I know. But I was lonely, and it was the only way I knew how to fit in with the kids at school. And then it just kind of… got out of control. I'm fine now, though. I rarely have a drink, and when I do, it's usually one, just to relax me a little while I write."

This earned a small smile from her lover, who gave her hand a little squeeze.

"I'm proud of you."

'What? Why?"

"Because you got yourself under control, and with alcohol, I know that's really hard to do."

"Yeah… It was."

Before either of them could continue the conversation, the waiter appeared with their food, their wine, and another bright smile.

"You ladies enjoy the food and the wine. I'll be back to check on you in a little bit. Let me know if you need anything else."

"We will," Emma told him. "Thank you."

Once he was gone and they'd taken a few bites of their food, as well as a few sips of the wine, Emma asked, "How is it?"

"Babe… It's perfect. This is really too much. Honestly, the best steak I've ever had."

"Good! How's… Um… How's the wine?"

"Actually, I love it. It's sweeter than I expected, not bitter at all. It's wonderful, really."

"Do you want another glass?"

"I probably shouldn't…"

"Lightweight?"

"Yeah, kind of."

"You know… It's okay if you wanna get a little bit tipsy. I'm not gonna let you get hurt or anything. I'll take care of you."

"What?"

"It's alright. You know… if you wanna get a little buzzed. You might like it."

"Emma, I…"

But of course, the waiter appeared beside them, with another one of his signature smiles, and asked, "How is everything? Anything I can get for you two?"

"Everything is great!" Emma said. "Could we please just get some glasses of water?"

"I'm glad to hear that!" he exclaimed, then turned to face the brunette. "Anything for you, Miss?"

"Um… Actually, another glass of wine would be great…" she answered, glancing nervously over at Emma, who just smiled at her and gave a nod of encouragement.

"I'll be right back with that," the waiter told them, then hurried off to the kitchen.

"Brave girl," Emma commented, flashing her lover a smile.

"Well… I've never actually been _tipsy._ I kinda skipped right over to black-out drunk. I'd sort of… like to know what it feels like, you know?"

"Yeah. I think… I think you'll like it, honestly. Just… take it slow. Pace yourself. I'm not gonna let you have too much."

"You promise?"

"Promise."

"And if I do anything silly, you'll stop me?"

"No promises about that one, love."

"Hey!"

"What? I wanna see what you're like, without all your inhibitions."

"What inhibitions?"

With a laugh, Emma answered, "The ones that make you so nervous all the time. I want you to be able to relax. Maybe a little bit of wine might help with some of that."

The waiter returned with both beverages, placing the water in front of the blonde, and the wine in front of the brunette.

"Any dessert for either of you?"

Emma looked at Regina and shrugged, saying, "I'm alright. How 'bout you, babe?"

"I think I had enough ice cream for today," the girl laughed. "Thank you, though."

So the young man left them alone at the table to finish their conversation, their meal, and for Regina to finish her wine. A little while later, once both of them were finished with their food, Regina's wine glass was half empty.

"How ya feelin', darling?" the blonde asked slowly, noticing the color that had risen to the girl's cheeks. "You alright?"

"I'm… I'm good… Really good, actually."

By the time Regina had gotten half-way through her third glass of wine, the bright lights outside had become blurry.

"Alright, my queen," Emma said, trying not to laugh. "I think you've had enough."

"Wait, but I haven't… haven't…" Regina tried, her words slurring slightly. "Haven't finished my-"

"Oh, you're finished."

"But there's… there's half left!"

At that point, Emma couldn't hold the laughter in anymore, and she had to brace herself on the table to keep herself sitting upright.

"Hey! Hey, don't… don't…"

But Regina quickly became distracted by the blurry lights outside that lit up the entire street, including the castle.

"So pretty," the brunette sighed happily, staring out the window.

Still laughing, Emma waved the waiter down and hurried to pay the check.

"Alright, darling. Let's take a walk."

"But I'm not-"

"You're done, baby. It's fine."

Gently, Emma pulled her from her chair and into a standing position, then wrapped her arm around the girl's waist. She wasn't exactly walking _straight_ , but the brunette wasn't really stumbling either. Still, her girlfriend wasn't about to risk her tripping and falling on her face, so she stayed close, just in case.

"You know what's funny?" Regina suddenly blurted as they stepped outside, her eyes glazing over as she stared at the castle, which was illuminated by multicolor lights.

"What's funny, babe?"

"How pretty you are," the girl replied with a lopsided grin.

"Wow, honey. You are a lightweight. Now you're seeing things."

"Am not! You're just _sexy._ "

"Alright, lady. Let's get you back to the hotel, alright?"

"Nuh-uh. I wanna walk around. It's pretty here. You're pretty too."

"Yeah, babe… You said that. It's still not true, but thanks."

"Hush, you!" Regina protested, swinging around and raising her finger to Emma's lips. "Shhh…"

"Wow, you are kinda drunk," Emma laughed. "Maybe I underestimated how much of a lightweight you are."

"Shhh… You're sexy when you talk. Don't turn me on in public."

"Regina!"

"What?" the girl slurred. "I'm just saying. Now, listen… You no talky-talky."

"Hold on a minute there. I-"

"Shhhh. No. Talky. Talky."

With raised eyebrows, Emma gripped the girl's waist a little tighter as she nearly tripped on the cobblestone path to the castle.

"I wanna see the castle up close again," Regina told her. "One more time, before we leave. Okie-dokie?"

"Okie-dokie? Seriously, Reg-"

"Shhh, dammit! No talky-talky out of you, unless you're gonna fuck me in the bathroom over there."

"Regina…"

But the girl tugged her along the path until they reached the castle again, then stared up at it in awe. Then, suddenly, she pulled Emma to the side and flopped down in the grass near the gardens close to the castle.

"Whoa, buddy!" Emma said, having just been pulled to the ground by her lover. "Take it easy there."

"Nooooooo," the brunette whined, shutting her eyes and laying back in the soft grass.

With a sigh, Emma laid back too and put her head on Regina's shoulder. When the girl reached up and ran her fingers through the blonde's hair, she smiled and sighed again. After a while, Emma checked her watch.

"Time to get going, angel. It's late. Park's about to close."

"But I don't wanna."

"It's okay, love. We're gonna come back tomorrow."

"Promise?"

"I promise. Now, let's go relax in the hotel room and let you sleep off this silliness, huh?"

"What _silliness?_ Don't be ridiculous. I'm perfectly… um…"

"Sober…?" Emma laughed, shaking her head as she stood up and pulled her lover to her feet. "Come on, babe."

So the two took one of the shuttles back to the resort, and Emma helped her girlfriend up the stairs, knowing that the motion of the elevator might make her nauseous. It was clear that the girl wasn't drunk enough to throw up, but she was definitely acting a little… goofy. (No pun intended.) That being said, when they walked in the room, Emma helped her to the bathroom, saying, "Go pee, brush your teeth, and get ready for bed, yeah? Yell if you need me."

As soon as she shut the door, Regina shouted, "Emma!"

Of course, the blonde threw the door open, thinking the girl was crying out in distress, but frowned at the brunette's next statement.

"You're cute!"

"Oh, God. No more wine for you, crazy girl."

"I'm not crazy. I'm _horny_."

"Oh, come on, Regina. Put your frickin' PJs on and get your butt in the bed."

"Are you gonna fuck me?"

"No, I am not gonna fuck you when you're drunk and can't consent."

"I'm not _drunk._ I'm _tipsy._ And I'm consenting right now! Just fucking DO ME."

"Good grief, girl. You should take a cold shower, 'cause I'm not helping you out with that tonight."

"Tomorrow night?"

"Nope."

" _Why_ , Emma?"

"It's not time, babe. Just give it time."

"How much time?"

"Let's talk about this tomorrow, when your head's a little less foggy, yeah? Get your PJs on, please. You need to rest up so we get another early start tomorrow."

With a scowl, Regina slammed the door shut and reluctantly did as she was told.


	8. Chapter 8: I Waited

Regina reappeared in just a bra and underwear, earning a sigh from her lover.

"Regina…"

"C'mon, baby," Regina pleaded as she slipped under the covers. "Just… Just hold me…"

"I know exactly what you're doing."

"Really? And what am I doing?"

"You're trying to seduce me, but you're intoxicated, and it's not gonna happen."

"Emma…" she whispered, sliding her hands underneath the girl's shirt and rubbing her thumbs in gentle circles over her abs. "Come on, babe… Don't make me do it myself…"

Of course, Emma's jaw dropped at this as she stared at her lover, who was still moving her hands up and down the blonde's body.

"Come on, babe. Don't," the girl whined, but squeezed her eyes shut and leaned back against the pile of pillows behind her.

"You know you want to," the girl's lover taunted, pressing her thumbs lightly into Emma's hips.

The blonde bit her lip, successfully stifling the noise that threated to escape, then started to push Regina's hands away.

"Yeah, honey, but not like this."

"When, then?" Regina pressed, sounding slightly more sober. "It's been a year, Emma…"

"Look, we'll talk about this in the morning. Right now, you need to just relax and let the buzz wear off."

"Oh, you're definitely killing the buzz," she grumbled back, rolling onto her back beside her lover.

"Hey, come on. Don't be like that."

"Fuck you, dude. You can sit there and suffer while I fucking do it myself."

When Emma realized that the girl had quickly slipped her hand into her own panties under the covers, she managed to protest, "Gina, don't!"

But the girl was determined, and pushed Emma's hand away when she tried to stop her.

"Stop it," Emma pleaded. "You know I can't… I can't…"

Her mouth watered as Regina started to moan.

"Oh, my God," the blonde breathed. "You can't be serious right now…"

But clearly, the brunette was _quite_ serious, given that she tore her hand away from Emma's and continued to touch herself while her lover watched helplessly.

"Gina, STOP!" Emma finally yelled, once again pulling the girl's hand from between her legs. "Not like this, okay? Please… Not like this."

"Ugh!" Regina screamed, throwing the covers off and sliding out of the bed. "You're… You're… Whoa…"

She reached out to steady herself on the nightstand, feeling the room suddenly spinning from her standing up too quickly. Emma jumped to the edge of the bed and gently lifted the girl into her lap and held her tightly.

"You're okay, babe. I got you."

"Yeah, but you won't fuck me…"

" _Stop it!_ You're gonna regret everything you're saying right now when you wake up tomorrow. Just _stop_. Lay down, let me hold you, and fuckin' relax."

Scowling at her lover once again, the girl finally relaxed into Emma's arms, and didn't fight her when she laid back on the bed and pulled Regina gently down with her. After pulling the covers up around them, Emma wrapped her arms around her lover, and waited until the girl fell asleep to close her own eyes.

In the morning, Regina did, of course, regret everything she'd said.

"Hey," Emma said lightly. "At least you _remember_ what you said."

"Ha ha. Very funny. Look, I'm sorry. I'm just so fucking… fucking _frustrated_."

"Look, I know you're sexually frustrated, but I promise that-"

"Emma, are we ever going to have sex?"

"Regina-"

"I'm serious. I'm asking. Are we _ever_ going to have sex?"

"Gina, come on. Of course we're-"

"Are you just putting it off because you don't want to?"

"God dammit, Regina!" the blonde shouted. "I fucking want to, okay? I just want it to be perfect for you. It _needs_ to be perfect for you."

"Emma, anything with you is already perfect. You don't have to make it a big deal."

"It _is_ a big deal. Maybe you don't think so now, but if you gave it up at the wrong time, you'd regret it and think differently. Trust me, I know."

"What…?"

"Look, we were sixteen, okay? It was stupid. I never saw her again after that summer."

"Emma, I…"

"Don't, okay? Don't fucking feel bad for me or whatever else it is you're thinking. Judge me if you want. I know it was dumb. But don't fucking pity me," Emma warned her. "Anyway, the point is, I don't want that to happen to you."

"I'm fucking twenty-four years old! And I'm not going to run off at the end of the summer!"

"Hey, fuck off, okay? I really thought I loved her."

"And… did you?" Regina asked, suddenly sounding shy.

"No. I mean… Yeah. As a person. But I wasn't _in_ love with her. I just thought that's what it was. We were really just good friends. I mean… before the summer ended."

"I'm sorry, Emma."

"Stop it! I said I don't want to hear it!"

"Look, I'm not her, and I'm an adult, okay? I can make my own decisions, and you need to let me do that."

"No. I'm waiting until the right moment, whether you like it or not. If you need sex that badly, you can leave, but I'm not gonna be the one who takes it from you when it's not absolutely perfect."

"Whatever. Let's just get going, okay?"

"Yeah. Fine."

The mood picked up as soon as they got to the park. Regina was laughing and smiling in no time, as soon as she got a little food in her stomach. Emma smiled back at her every time, completely captivated by her beauty. The rest of that day, and the day after that, went much the same way. They met a few more princesses, including Cinderella and Ariel, tried a few other rides, and enjoyed a few more five-star meals. When they got back to the hotel room Thursday night, Regina had the sudden revelation that the concert they'd planned to see was happening the very next day.

"I can't believe we're gonna see them in less than twenty-four hours!" the brunette cried happily, clapping her hands and bouncing a little as she sat on the bed.

Emma kissed her cheek with a smile and said, "I can't wait to high-five them all after the show."

"I _know!_ God. I can't believe you got us V.I.P. tickets. You're such an angel."

"Yeah. You didn't think that two nights ago."

"Emma," the girl sighed. "I'm sorry. I'm just an ass. It's not even that I was drunk. I was just horny, and my inhibitions were down, just like you said they would be. I can't even believe the alcohol lasted that long."

"Yeah, that was kind of odd. You really are a lightweight, honey."

"I'm sorry, Emma. I really am. I'm a horrible girlfriend… I can't believe I did all that."

"Gina," Emma replied. "You're a great girlfriend. You're just sexually frustrated, and I get that. I am too. I just want-"

"-it to be perfect. I know."

"I'm sorry."

"Yeah. I am too."

"Anyway, let's get some sleep. Tomorrow's gonna be a big day."

Once Regina had joined her lover under the covers, she looked over shyly and asked, "Can we cuddle?"

"Babe," the blonde laughed. "Of course we can cuddle. Get over here."

As soon as she opened her arms, the brunette fell into them, wrapping her arms around Emma's torso.

"I love you," she whispered. "Thank you for everything you've done for me."

"Of course, darling. It's really my pleasure, and I love you too. Now, shut your eyes and get some sleep."

The next night, at the concert, they both nearly fainted several times, shocked by the reality of seeing so many of the idols they wrote about.

" _Ugh,_ " Emma groaned. "They're even hotter in person!"

"Hey! Keep it in your pants!" the brunette teased.

Emma just grinned and continued to watch the performance, totally elated by the fact that not only was she seeing one of her favorite groups, she was seeing them with the person she cared the most about in her world.

For some reason, it was the only event on their trip that Regina _hadn't_ cried about. Her face flooded with color as she high-fived each of the boys as they walked past, but she managed to bottle her tears and continue to stand upright. When the show was over, they took a cab back to the hotel and immediately fell asleep.

The next day, Emma woke with a shot of fear in her gut.

When Regina noticed that something was clearly off, she asked, "Babe? You alright?"

"Yeah… Um… I need… I need a shower."

Without another word, Emma disappeared into the bathroom. When the girl reappeared wearing her nicest blouse, Regina's eyes opened wide.

"Well, don't you look lovely!" she cried, clearly staring at the cleavage that the top two undone buttons of the shirt displayed so beautifully.

"Like what you see, huh?" Emma asked with a wink.

The girl nodded and asked, "What's the occasion?"

"Oh, I dunno," Emma lied. "Last full day here. Figured I'd wear something nice when we went back to the castle. Besides, we're gonna go out to eat somewhere nice tonight."

"Oh. Alright. I'll wear something nice too then," Regina said, smirking as she brushed past her lover and slipped into the bathroom.

When she came back out, it was Emma's turn to stare.

"Oh, wow," she breathed. "You look amazing."

The blouse was black, and tight fitting, and Regina's own breasts were also perfectly displayed. The tightly fitting skirt certainly didn't help Emma tear her eyes away. When the girl turned around and bent over to pull a pair of pantyhose out of her suitcase, the blonde's mouth began to water.

Without thinking about it or trying to stop herself, Emma approached the girl, grabbed her hips, turned her around, and kissed her hard on the mouth. Regina, startled at first, hesitated to kiss back, surprised by the sudden burst of passion, but quickly responded with her own mouth and tongue.

"Wait… Wait," the brunette finally breathed, breaking their lips apart. "We gotta go, honey."

Emma, nearly panting, looked down at the girl's breasts and sighed.

"You _are_ the evil queen, my dear. And you're damn good at it too."

They made it to the park without another incident – except Emma playfully groping the girl's ass as she stepped off the bus – and had breakfast at a café on the main strip leading to the castle. The entire time, Emma's hands were twitching, and her face was warm with color.

"Let's go check out the gardens again," Emma suggested slowly, once they'd both finished their food. "You were pretty tipsy last time we checked 'em out, and it was dark."

"Yeah. That sounds good! Let's go."

So they both threw their trash in the waste bin and walked towards the castle. Beside it, they found the gardens, and entered the path, strolling slowly along it as they gazed at the beautiful display of roses.

"Um… Uh… Gina?" Emma asked, her voice cracking as she stopped in her tracks when they'd reached the middle of the garden.

"What is it?" the girl asked quickly, looking concerned at the sound of Emma's voice choking up.

"I… Um…"

"Babe, what's the matter?"

"I just… I wanted to ask… "

"Babe…?"

When Emma nearly fell to her knee in front of her, Regina's heart stopped completely, then sputtered and began to race as she saw the girl pull out a small velvet box from her pocket.

"Regina Mills…" Emma started slowly, opening the tiny container to reveal a large, elegant black diamond ring, something unique to suit the girl's distinctive tastes. "Will you marry me?"

And that was when the brunette collapsed and passed out on the ground.

Emma caught her head before it hit the pathway, but the girl was still out cold, so she carried her quickly to the nearest first-aid station, then gently shook her shoulders and patted her cheeks to wake her up.

"Babe?!" Emma said anxiously, as the girl's eyes fluttered open. "Holy shit, are you alright? You just… You just _dropped._ I'm sorry. I… I didn't think-"

"Emma…" she breathed. "Emma Swan…"

"Yeah, babe?"

Then, gaining some of her strength back, Regina sat up, crying, "Yes, of course, I'll marry you," and throwing her arms around her lover's neck.

Both of them spent the next fifteen minutes or so crying (of course), but when Regina finally calmed down, she managed to ask, "How long have you been planning this?"

"I told you, babe. Since I got on the plane to come home from Baltimore."

"You knew you wanted to marry me in _Baltimore?_ "

"Well, yeah. After you almost got seriously hurt, it's no surprise. It made the priorities in my life blatantly clear to me, and as soon as I left you and stepped on that plane, I knew what that _you_ were my priority, and that that was never gonna change."

"Yeah, but… how'd you decide you wanted to _marry_ me?"

"I didn't decide. It just became obvious. Right then and there, when I got on the plane. It was the next logical step, once I realized that you were the _number one_ person in my life. I knew I didn't ever want to lose you. But I obviously couldn't ask you just a few months in, so I planned this, and I waited."

"Oh, Emma… Today was _perfect._ This whole trip was perfect, baby."

"You're perfect, darling. Please, be my queen, for the rest of our lives."

"I will be your queen, Emma Swan," she said, allowing Emma to take the ring that she'd offered her earlier and slip it delicately on her finger. "Always."

For most of the day, the two were inseparable, holding hands everywhere they went. They barely parted when one of them had to go to the bathroom. Every few minutes, Regina stopped, no matter where they were, to kiss her lover's lips. Every now and then, a tear would slip down her cheek, but Emma would always catch it before it dripped from her chin.

It was towards the end of the day, just as the sun was starting to set, when their feet became sore from walking, that they decided to sit on a bench near the ice cream cart they'd been at the other day. Just as they sat down, a mother, standing in front of a child's stroller, began to talk to the girl that they assumed was her daughter. The young girl looked about three years old, almost a little too old to not be walking on her own, but she was lovely, and caught the complete attention of the couple as she clung tightly to a half-eaten Mickey Mouse ice cream bar. Just then, though, the girl's grip on the wooden stick faltered, and the bar fell right down her shirt, bounced down past her lap, and fell to the ground, covering her entire adorable outfit in ice cream. Of course, the girl burst into tears, kicking her feet and starting to scream.

The mother instantly crouched down in front of her and took her hands, quickly saying, "It's alright, baby girl! We'll get you another one, okay?"

"No!" the girl screeched. "I want MY Mickey!"

"Oh, honey… Let's just get you a new one, alright?"

After another fit of screaming and crying, the little girl finally agreed to try another ice cream bar. Shortly after it was handed to her, she started to suck on it, until, a few moments later, her head began to droop. Her eyes closed as she fell asleep, and the bar slipped from her hands once again, this time landing in her lap and getting ice cream all over her hands.

"Oh, sweetie," her mother laughed, smoothing the hair on the top of the girl's head as she slept. "Let's go get you cleaned up."

The girl didn't respond, and even with all the bustling activity, talking, loud music, and shouting from other children, she was out cold. As the mother pushed the stroller in the direction of the nearest bathroom, the happy couple stared in awe, smiles spread across their lips.

Finally, noticing the smile on her lover's face, Emma said playfully, "No kids, huh?"

"I…" Regina started, but found herself unable to finish the sentence, or even to wipe the smile from her lips.

"She was pretty damn cute, don't you think?"

"I… Of course…"

"You don't want one? Not even a little bit?"

Regina's mouth opened slightly, then slowly closed again before she responded, "Well… I never did before, but…"

The blonde's grin grew broader as she asked, "And now?"

"Now, I… They're just so cute… and they're all so _happy_ here…"

"How could anyone not be?" Emma said cheerfully. "It's the happiest place on earth."

"And the most magical, apparently."

"You think so?"

"After what you just did this morning? Yeah. I do."

"But… no kids."

"Well… I mean…"

When she trailed off, her lover pressed, "Gina?"

"I think I'd be a terrible mother."

"I highly doubt that. You have more love in your heart than anyone I know."

"Are you trying to convince me, Emma Swan?"

"I… No! I just… I'm just… curious…" Emma told her, only half-lying. "After today, I'm surprised that anyone could resist those adorable little faces. Those tiny hands… Those little socks and shoes…"

When the blonde sighed happily, Regina finally managed, "Well… I don't know. Maybe… Maybe with you, it would be different."

The girl's eyes went wide with shock as she heard this, and her mouth fell open as she stared at her lover and let the statement sink in.

After a few moments of contemplation of how to respond, she said, "I never wanted them, either. Then I met you, and I just…"

"You want them now?"

"Well… Yeah. I want them… with you…"

"How many?"

"As… As many as you want."

"After today? I think I want several," Regina the brunette said with a blush as she turned her face away.

"How many is several…?"

"Six? Seven?"

At first, Emma looked completely shocked, but when Regina grinned at her and she realized that her lover had been joking, she said, "No, seriously. How many?"

"I don't know… Maybe three or four?"

"Oh, wow," the blonde breathed. "That's a lot."

"Well… I… I mean… Yeah, but… I… We don't have to, of course… I just… You asked, and I…"

"Babe," Emma whispered, leaning in to kiss the girl's cheek. "We can have as many as you want, when you're ready."

"Oh, Emma," the girl sighed happily, throwing her arms around the blonde's neck. "I love you so much."

"I love you too, baby."

"God… Being a parent… It's gonna be so scary. I never seriously considered it before. I always just blew it off and thought I'd be a horrible parent. I never wanted them. But after today… After being with you… After seeing all these adorable, happy kids… I'm bursting with the prospect of being a mom. Of being _married…_ "

"Hey, listen… I don't want to push anything on you… and I didn't mean to shock you before. I just couldn't keep it in anymore. So many times, I just wanted to blurt it out and beg you to say yes, but I knew had to be the right moment. It had to be magical. But if you're not ready for that kind of commitment… I understand. I don't want you to say yes to keep me from being hurt."

"Honey, I would never agree to _marry_ someone just to spare their feelings. I said yes because I know that I _want_ to marry you. That I'll always want to be married to you."

"You've thought about this before…?"

"I've thought about it a lot. Actually… I was thinking of asking you the last time you came up, but I knew it was too soon, that that would be crazy of me, and that you wouldn't say yes."

"I would've said yes, but I would've been upset that you spoiled my big plans. I really wanted to be the one to ask. I was scared you wouldn't be ready, though."

"I _am_ ready, Emma. This is crazy, but I've been ready for a long time. I just didn't think you were."

"I've been ready for a long time too. I just didn't want to freak you out. Even today I was scared it was too soon and that you'd say no. I just couldn't… I couldn't hold it in. I was gonna burst if I didn't do it right then and there."

"And I'm so glad you did, Emma. I know it must have been scary, but it was _perfect,_ and I couldn't be happier."

"Maybe… Maybe when we actually get married, you will be."

"That's a good point. Any maybe when we have kids, I'll be even happier than that."

"God, Regina," Emma breathed. "I'm so fucking in love with you."

The girls embraced and kissed each other, with Emma cupping the girl's face carefully in her hands. Regina smiled into the kiss, then pulled away slowly.

"Let's get some food," the brunette suggested with a smile.

When the blonde nodded, they both stood up to make their way to the restaurant where they had reservations. Their stares across the dining table were more intense than usual, and their eyes were filled with love.

When the waiter asked if they were having a good day, Regina quickly replied, "The best day of my life."

"Aww! That's wonderful, dear! Anything in particular happen to bring you that extra dose of magic?"

"This wonderful girl, here," she replied, "just proposed to me. And I said yes."

The waiter clapped his hands, bouncing on the balls of his feet, then said, "Meal's on us tonight, ladies. Congratulations!"

"Oh, jeez," Emma managed. "Thank you so much!"

When she looked back across the table at her fiancé, the girl was grinning from ear to ear. After dessert, when they were nearly bursting at the seams, Emma held the girl's hand and walked her around the park until it was time for the fireworks display. When the show started, the two sat down in the garden where Emma had proposed and looked up to the sky above the castle. The display, just like the rest of their trip, was more than enchanting, and by the time it was half-over, they were both crying.

"I don't want this to be our last night," Regina sniffled as the last bright red firework crackled and exploded in the sky. "I don't want to go home and be without you again."

"Regina…" Emma said slowly, looking into her lover's eyes. "Move in with me."

" _What?_ " the brunette gasped, gaping at the girl beside her. "You mean it?"

"Of course I mean it! I can't take the distance anymore. Not after you've said yes. Not now that we're engaged. I can't be away from you anymore."

"My parents are gonna fucking kill me…"

"Come on, Gina. You're twenty-four years old now. Make your own choices. If you're not ready to move in with me, that's okay, but make this decision for you."

"I'm making this decision for us," Regina told her. "And yes, Emma… I'll move in with you.

"REALLY?!" Emma squealed, clapping her hands together with glee. "You mean it?!"

"Yeah, baby," the girl said, smiling brightly. "I mean it."

"When?!"

"As soon as I can. Probably next month, after I sort out things with my parents and ease them into the idea of not working for Mom anymore."

"That's gonna be hard…"

"I know, Em. But I'm gonna do it. For us."

"I love you so much!" the blonde cried. "So, _so_ much!"

"I love you too, darling. Then, she sighed happily and added, "I can't wait to see you every day. To wake up beside you… To kiss you every morning…"

"Me either."

They left the park shortly after that, reluctantly, and they both shed a few tears as they left the gates behind them and boarded the shuttle back to the resort.

Once they got to their room, Emma made sure that Regina was the one to open the door and walk in first. On the table, a large bouquet of two-dozen roses was waiting for her, along with a bottle of Disney's signature apple cider. Two more bouquets, white ones, were set on each of the nightstands, and the bed was covered in red rose petals.

"Oh, God, Emma! You really shouldn't have!" the girl cried, covering her mouth with her hands as her eyes opened wide and she stared at the beautiful display.

"But I did," Emma quipped. "And I know you're impressed."

" _Very_ impressed, darling…" Regina replied. "You did wonderfully."

"Should we have a glass of cider to celebrate?"

"Non-alcoholic?" the brunette asked, looking a little nervous.

"Non-alcoholic," the girl's lover assured her with a smile. "You're awfully silly when you're drunk. And awfully horny."

Rolling her eyes, Regina sat down at the table and waited for Emma to pour them each a glass of the most delicious cider they'd ever tasted.

"It's perfect, Emma," the girl sighed happily, taking the last sip from her second glass.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. More than perfect."

"I think so too…" the blonde said slowly, standing up, walking over to the bed, and sitting down. "Come sit next to me."

When the girl did as she was told, Emma immediately cupped her face and kissed her, slowly at first, then with tongue. Their passion grew, until Emma gently pushed her lover down on the bed and straddled her hips, only breaking the kiss when she laid the girl down. When Emma's hands wandered under the girl's shirt, Regina shivered, shocked by the contact, and when the blonde undid the buttons of her blouse and removed it, the blonde gasped.

"Emma," she breathed.

But Emma didn't pull away. Instead, she moved her hands over Regina's breasts and squeezed them, just hard enough to pull a small noise from her lover. When she heard this, her breath came in heavier bursts as they kissed. Her tongue grew more insistent, until Regina matched her force with her own. When this happened, it was Emma's turn to moan.

"Em," the brunette whimpered, sliding her own hands up Emma's shirt and swiftly lifting it over the girl's head.

"Wait," Emma gasped, but Regina pulled her back down and reconnected their lips.

When the blonde seemed hesitant and unsure of what to do next, her lover grabbed her wrists and moved her hands back over her breasts.

"Take it off," she husked, staring up into Emma's eyes.

Her own eyes were burning with passion, and seeing this, as well as hearing the tone of her voice, made the space between Emma's legs slick and wet. Unable to disobey, the girl removed the garment and tossed it to the side. Then, Regina grabbed her hands and pressed them against her own breasts.

"Angel…"

"Gina, wait…"

"Baby, it's time. I'm ready."


	9. Chapter 9: Everything in Our Future

Sucking in a shaky, frantic breath, Regina reached behind her lover's back to unclasp the girl's bra strap, then dropped it to the floor. The blonde's quivering hands slid down her lover's body until they were pressed against the girl's hips.

"It's okay, babe," the brunette cooed softly. "Do it."

Finally, Emma's hands performed the act they'd never done before and undid the button and zipper of her pants, then tugged them down and off of her body. As she slipped her fingertips into the waistband of the girl's panties, she felt her stomach heave and flip.

"I… I…" she stammered, but Regina pushed her lover's hands down until her panties were around her thighs.

"Take 'em off."

Still shaking, the blonde did as she was told, removing the garment that had just revealed the wonder of the girl's entire body.

"Fuck, Regina," Emma breathed. "Fuck…"

"Strip, honey… Let me see you."

Nervously, Emma removed her dress pants, tossed them to the side, and paused when she was left kneeling between Regina's legs in only her underwear.

"Come on, baby," Regina encouraged her, her own voice soft and low. "It's okay. It's just me."

So Emma gathered all the bravery she could muster, unable to fight or control her own hormones, and removed the last piece of fabric that kept them apart. As soon as this was done, Regina sat up, wrapped her arms around Emma's torso, then fell back against the pillows, bringing her lover with her. When their hips came in contact and the skin of their stomachs pressed together, the blonde gasped and started to pull away, but Regina was holding her firmly in that position with their bodies held together.

"Make love to me," Regina whispered in her ear, then pressed her lips to the skin of Emma's neck, causing her to moan softly and start to breathe heavily, with the air of her breaths warm on her lover's cheek.

"I'm… I'm scared… What if I-"

"You won't. I want you so bad… Please, just make love to me…"

Emma shut her eyes, relishing the girl's pleas. The low, husky sound flooded her ears and increased the wetness between her legs, and when she slowly reached down and slipped her hand between her lover's thighs, she felt the same wetness there as well. Regina whimpered at the contact, desperate for more, so Emma pressed her fingertips against the girl's clit, making her gasp. She stroked it a few times, intoxicated by the noises she was pulling from the brunette, and waited for her to plead for more.

"Emma," her fiancé moaned quietly. "Please."

"Please _what?"_ Emma teased, finding herself loving the sound of her lover begging her to continue. "Tell me how bad you want it."

"Don't fuck around, Emma!" the girl nearly screamed, lifting her hips to create more friction between her legs.

"Ah, ah, ah," the blonde scolded her, quickly removing her hand. "Tell me what you want, or I'll stop."

"Emma!"

"Don't pout," Emma warned. "Just tell me. I want to hear you say it."

"Why?" Regina breathed. "Does it turn you on? Do you get off on it?"

"Yeah. I fucking do."

When the brunette leaned up to catch her lips, Emma swiftly pulled away and withheld access to her lips, grinning as she watched her lover suffer.

"Ugh! Twat!"

"Come on, baby," the blonde whispered. "Tell me you want me."

When Emma slid her hand back between the girl's thighs, Regina moaned, " _I want you_ ," without further hesitation.

"That's right, honey, Emma husked. "Tell me how bad."

"So bad. Baby, _please._ Please, please, _please_ make love to me."

That was all Emma needed to hear to continue (though she wanted more), so she rubbed her fingertips along the girl's slit, then slipped them inside the girl's wet center.

"Emma!" Regina cried out. "Emma, _yes._ "

When the blonde pumped her fingers in and out a few times, Regina became even more desperate, moaning the girl's name over and over again, mixed in with a few heavy breaths of 'Fuck, fuck, fuck,' and 'Shit, baby, don't stop.' When Emma was finally ready to finish her, she pushed two fingers back inside and curled them forward, and again, Regina cried out.

"You like that, babe?" she teased, curling them again.

"Yes. _Yes,_ Emma. _Yes_."

After a few move moves, in and out, then curling forward, Regina was coming and screaming Emma's name. As the orgasm rocked her body, she dug her nails into her lover's back and dragged them down, making it her lover's turn to cry out. As Regina finished coming, she left her nails digging into the girl's lower back. It was only when her breaths slowed enough to hear her lover's panting ones that she released her grip and slowly pressed down on the middle of the girl's back. She felt the blood beneath of palms, and Emma cried out again before she could pull her hands away. When she did, though, the blonde quickly collapsed against her body and moaned, burying her face in her fiancé's neck and kissing her there, sucking on the skin until Regina was moaning too.

"My turn," the brunette finally managed to say, rolling them until she was straddling Emma's hips and squeezing her breasts.

Emma's eyes shut as she, without intention, ground her hips up against her lover's core.

"Hey… Wait," Regina gasped. "I said…-" she paused to moan again as Emma's force increased "-it's _my_ turn."

The girl pushed down on Emma's hips, hard enough to hold her still, then dismounted her and positioned herself between her legs.

"Behave, or I'll stop," she mocked, rubbing the girl's clit slowly, with light, gentle movements.

"I'm sorry," Emma blurted. "I shouldn't-" the moan that escaped her cut her off, mid-sentence "-have teased you."

"I'm sorry too, for the torture I'm about to put you through," Regina whispered in her ear, then slid her fingers into the blonde's hot core.

She repeated Emma's motions, her palm rubbing against the girl's clit as she pumped her fingers in and out, as though she'd done it before, until the blonde was gasping for breath between each loud moan she let out. When Regina felt the girl's walls start to clench around her two fingers, she stopped.

"Now," she cooed, watching the girl squirm in frustration. "Are you ready to come?"

Emma frantically nodded her head, making her lover smirk with satisfaction as she thrust her fingers into the girl's core and curled them forward. A few more times was all it took to make her come.

As she orgasmed, she whimpered, "I love you, Gina," and once she'd finished, she kept her eyes shut and remained panting on the bed.

"I'd say you liked that," Regina taunted her. "Wouldn't you?"

Emma opened her eyes and nodded again.

"What?"

"I…"

"Did you?"

" _Yes,_ " Emma groaned, shutting her eyes once more.

"Yes, _what?_ "

When the girl's eyes shot open again and met Regina's fiery gaze, she managed, "Yes, _Your Majesty_."

"That's better," Regina said with a smirk, kissing her lover slowly.

When she pulled away, Emma sighed.

"You're perfect."

"Far from it. But you certainly are."

"No, really. That was… That was…"

"That was what, dear?"

"That was amazing. I want…"

"Yeah, babe?"

"I want that every day for the rest of my life."

"I think you've already arranged that."

This brought a smile to Emma's face as she pulled her lover back down and connected their lips again.

"Never leave me, okay?"

"I never will, baby. I never will. And you know what?"

"No. What?" Emma asked shyly.

"This was the perfect time, and I can't wait for everything in our future."

Again, Emma grinned and kissed her slowly, savoring the taste of her queen and earning a smile from her lover in return.

* * *

 **THE FOLLOWING YEAR**

"I can't believe we're married," Emma sighed happily, carrying her lover bridal style inside the house that they'd just signed the deed for.

"I can't believe we're home-owners!" Regina cried. "God, Emma. You picked the perfect house."

"Well, I knew you wanted to move to Rye, and that you wanted to be by the beach. Now that I've gotten the job as Sheriff here, it makes things pretty easy."

"Never thought I'd live anywhere but Storybrooke," the brunette laughed. "Let alone in New Hampshire."

"It's beautiful here, babe, and we both love the beach. It's perfect for us."

"It really is, baby… It really is."

"Ugh," Emma sighed suddenly, setting Regina down in the living room that surrounded them with large, brown boxes. "So much unpacking to do."

"Oh, stop it. You didn't even bring that much stuff."

"I don't _have_ that much stuff," the blonde protested. "But _you_ sure do."

"Hey, shut up, alright? I only brought what I absolutely _needed._ "

"Like your collection of blue seaglass? And your entire vanity?"

"Hey! Blue seaglass is _rare_ , I'll have you know! And my father gave me that vanity!"

With a laugh, Emma leaned in and kissed the young woman's cheek, saying, "I love you, darling. Whatever you want to bring here is fine. I want you to feel at home here."

"You're here, so I already do."

The blonde smiled happily and sat down on the couch, since it was the only thing in the house that was clear of boxes. Even their bed was covered with them. As soon as she sat down, though, Regina straddled her lap and immediately tangled her fingers in Emma's hair, pulling her closer as she moved their lips together.

"Mmmm," Emma mumbled through the kiss. "Babe, we gotta-"

"-unpack. I know. Just shut up and kiss me."

Which was exactly what happened for the next twenty minutes or so, along with some heavy touching, and a few soft moeans. When Regina's hand slipped between her wife's legs and rubbed the fabric of her jeans where they covered her core, Emma started to whimper.

"Take me upstairs," Regina husked, moving her hands up to the woman's breasts.

"There's no…" Emma gasped, between kisses. "No room."

"Well, fucking make room. I want you to fuck me, and we need to break in the new bed."

"Regina! Now? We've got-"

"-so much to do. _I know._ I just don't care. _Fuck me,_ goddammit! Don't make me fucking beg."

This made Emma laugh, so she muttered, "Twat," then lifted the woman into her arms and carried her up the stairs and into their bedroom, where she sat her on the bed and tossed the boxes to the floor as quickly as possible. Once the bed was clear, Emma fucked her, rough and hard, the way Regina had newly discovered that she liked it, and then her lover made love to her in return, tender and slow, until the blonde cried out her name in ecstasy.

" _Fuck_ , Regina," she breathed. "You're so fucking good at that."

Regina just smiled and relaxed into the woman's arms with her own arm wrapped around the blonde, and shut her eyes. Her lover followed suit and relaxed for the next few minutes.

After a while, Emma's eyes opened, and she asked, "So… Um…"

"Yeah, babe?" Regina mumbled sleepily.

"When... Um… When did you want to start thinking about those little kiddos?"

* * *

 **FIVE YEARS LATER**

After becoming parents for the first time, two years after their marriage, they eventually had the four children they'd both been dreaming of. Of course, when Emma had first begun to dream about having children of her own, she hadn't really expected to have _quite_ so many… but Regina's persuasiveness was inescapable. After the first two children, which Regina had given birth to, Henry and Samantha, Emma was pretty much all set with the immense responsibility they'd both taken on. Regina, however, was desperate for more, so she begged and begged (and begged and begged), and may _possibly_ have used her powers of seduction to change her lover's mind, until Emma finally relented and gave in to the woman's request after one particularly intense night of love-making.

"Alright," she said, around the time Samantha turned six months old, and Henry was two. " _One_ more." " _No_ more," had been her first response after they adopted Shon, but another six months after expanding their family once again, Regina began to plead for another child. "No way, Regina!" Emma laughed one night, shaking her head. "No. More. Kids. We've got enough of a handful with the rascals we already have."

"But _Emma_ ," her wife whined. "Just _one_ more. Please? I'll take care of it and feed it and take it for walks!"

Emma burst into laughter at the joke, then quickly sobered and shook her head sternly.

"It's not a dog. There's _way_ too many diapers to change already, and-"

"Oh, come on, Em. I'm already staying home with the kids, and you'll still be able to work. _Please._ Just _one_ more."

"Absolutely not. Our children are precious, but I don't think I can manage-"

But her mouth was quickly covered and silenced by Regina's, as the woman crawled onto her lap and straddled her.

"Baby," she husked. "What if I don't fuck you until we have one more?"

"Regina!" Emma cried. "That's ridiculous and incredibly manipulative and unfair!"

"Fine!" Regina scoffed. "Go into the nursery right now and look at your beautiful children and _then_ tell me you don't want more."

"Okay. Fine. I can do that."

So Emma got up, went to the nursery, and stared at her three sleeping angels. As Shon, the youngest, began to fuss and coo, Emma sighed and lifted the waking boy into her arms.

"Hey, buddy," she whispered. "You're alright. I'm right here."

He burped when she patted his back, then almost immediately fell back to sleep with his head on her shoulder.

"Oh, God," Emma sighed. "You guys are really too much."

Once she'd laid the boy back in his crib and returned to their room, where Regina was sitting on the bed watching her expectantly, she found herself unable to put away the smile that had spread across her lips (completely without her permission).

"See?" Regina said triumphantly. "One more."

"Alright," Emma huffed, sitting beside her wife on the bed. " _One_ more. But that's it! I swear, if we adopt again and you tell me you want another, I'm gonna-"

But once again, Emma was silenced by her lover's soft, eager lips, and found herself unable to protest further. As Regina quickly stripped her of her clothes, knowing their time alone in peace was seriously limited, Emma's heart began to beat out of rhythm.

"I knew you'd say yes," the brunette whispered, clearly victorious. "I _knew_ you would."

"You're impossible."

"And you're perfect. Now make love to me before they wake up. I don't think we're ever going to get them all quiet at the same time ever again," the woman joked.

"Especially not with another one," the blonde grumbled, but Regina quieted her once again with her lips.

As Emma came down from her orgasm, her wife said softly, "I'm so happy with you. With our kids. I just want to grow this family, you know? To love you guys until I burst."

"I know, babe. Just take it easy, after this one, alright? I already don't know if I can juggle any more little kiddos."

"You won't have to do it alone."

"I know that," Emma told her with a smile.

"You know, I told you five years ago in Disneyland that I wanted three or four. You seemed surprised, but you were okay with it then."

"Well, first of all, I didn't think you were serious! And when I said we could have as many as you wanted, I had no idea how hard it was gonna be!"

Regina just laughed and shook her head, saying, "You won't regret it. I promise."

"I know I won't. I'm just nervous, you know? What if I'm not a good parent? What if it's too much and I drop the ball and-"

"You're a wonderful parent, baby."

"Alright… So do you want to adopt a boy or a girl this time?"

"I think another girl, to make it even, you know? Henry's already got a little brother, but Sammy doesn't have a little sister. I think that'd be good for her."

Emma nodded and smiled at her wife, silently agreeing to the suggestion.

As soon as they brought Keileigh home, they knew they'd taken on as much as they could handle, but once they'd put them all to sleep together for the first time – the girls in one room, and the boys in another – Regina picked up her familiar pitch.

"Emma, don't you want-"

"Regina. Stop it right now. I don't want to hear it. We're _absolutely_ not having another child."

"But I haven't given birth in such a long time, and I really want to-"

"Gina!" her wife exclaimed. "The answer is no!"

Then, Regina pulled a trick from up her sleeve that she hadn't used yet. She started to cry. Emma's heart sank as soon as she saw the tears, and she wrapped both arms around her lover a little tighter.

Still, Regina's quiet sobs showed no signs of stopping, until Emma finally asked, "Baby? Babe, are you okay? Come on, honey… Don't cry… I just…"

Upon hearing the distress and concern in Emma's reaction, Regina knew she had an in, and couldn't stop the slight smile from curling at the corner of her lips.

"You faker!" Emma cried, seeing this and slapping her hands down on the bed. "You _total_ faker!"

"I am _not_ faking!" Regina retorted, fighting back laughter. "I am simply-"

"-a manipulative twat!"

"Jerk!"

"Prick!"

"Pussy!"

"C-"

"EMMA SWAN-MILLS, DON'T YOU DARE!"

With her bright smile making her cheeks ache, the blonde started to laugh, and didn't stop, even after her wife continued to shout at her and scold her for her outburst.

"I'm… I'm sorry!" Emma cackled. "I couldn't help myself! Anyway, I didn't actually get to _say_ it!"

"Oh, don't you use that argument again! It didn't work six years ago, and it's certainly not going to work now! You absolutely _were_ going to say it, and that is completely unacceptable! No sex for a month!"

"Aw, Gina, c'mon. We both know you can't go that long without an orgasm."

"EMMA!"

"What?! It's true! You said so yourself last week when I fucked you so hard it hurt you to walk."

"Emma Swan-Mills! You hush your mouth right now!"

"You really are a mom, you know," the blonde laughed, shaking her head.

"What the heck is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that I haven't heard you actually _swear_ since Sammy was born. All you say now is 'heck,' and 'hush your mouth.'"

"You stop laughing this instant, missy! I'm serious about no sex for a month!"

"Alright, alright. Let's make a bet. If you can go an entire month without sex, I'll let you use the strap-on to fuck me up the ass. If you can't… we get a babysitter – so the kids don't hear you screaming – and I get to stick it up yours."

"That is _absolutely never_ happening!"

"Scared you can't make it a month?"

"I'll have you know that I… I went plenty of months without sex before we got engaged!"

"Yeah," Emma started, "but you didn't go without an orgasm, did you? I'm pretty sure you wanked to my writing or my moaning the entire time."

"Okay, well… Well, technically, according to your proposition, I don't _have_ to go a month without and orgasm just because _we're_ not having sex. I can take care of myself, thank you very much. I think most of our toys will worth _just fine_ without you."

"Oh, yeah? Not your favorite."

"What?"

"You can't use a strap-on by yourself."

"You shut your dirty mouth, Emma Swan-Mills!"

"Take the bet, if you're so sure. No orgasms, not even by yourself, for an entire month."

"I _do not_ have to agree to that. I have absolutely no reason to."

"Alright, fine. Then, do I at least get to watch you masturbate?"

"Only if you don't come. Or even touch yourself."

"Wait, hold on! If you get to wank, so do I! You said no sex with _you._ Not no sex with _myself._ "

"ALRIGHT, dammit! I bet you that I can go an _entire_ month without a single orgasm, if you agree to the same thing."

"Deal."

"Oh, you poor, poor girl," Regina cackled, unable to contain her excitement. "You are _so_ gonna take it up the ass."

"Oh, I _highly_ doubt that, my queen. But don't worry. I'll take it easy on you..." Emma promised, then added, "The first time."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. I never agreed to it happening more than once!"

"What, scared you're gonna lose?"

"Absolutely not! I'll have you know that I am perfectly capable of-"

"-losing this bet."

Emma grinned, stood up, and walked out of the room.

Not at all to Emma's surprise, and much to her elation, on the fifteenth day, when she came home from work and went upstairs to check on her wife (quietly, just in case the woman was napping while their four beautiful children slept), she found her wife under the sheets. Her head was leaned back, and her face was twisted with pleasure. It was obvious by the movements under the sheets that her wife was clearly touching herself between her legs.

Emma waited a moment before announcing her presence, with a sly smirk on her face. Before she could open her mouth though, she felt the warmth between her own legs grow at the sight.

Finally, she forced herself to ignore her own arousal, coughed, and said, "I've always wanted to watch you finish masturbating."

The woman's free hand flew up to cover her mouth as she sat straight up in bed and stared at her wife.

"SHIT!" she cursed, uncovering her mouth. "YOU WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO BE HOME FOR ANOTHER HOUR!"

"You," Emma said, crawling into the bed beside her lover and sliding her hands over the bare skin of the woman's sides, "are a dirty, lying, cheating little imp."

"I know," Regina groaned. "I just couldn't… I… _Fuck!"_

"Is this the first time you've done this?"

"I… Um…"

"Don't lie to me. You're a terrible liar, and my superpower is detecting bullshit. I'll see it in your face."

"Well… Yes."

"How close were you?"

"Um… pretty fucking close…"

"You were gonna come without me…?" the blonde asked, sounding hurt.

"Emma! Please don't be upset… I just… I couldn't… It was too fucking hard! I haven't gone this long without it since after Sammy was born."

"I know, babe. Still, though… Now, I've-"

"I was thinking about you, though…"

"Oh, yeah? About what, specifically?"

"N-Nothing…"

"Oh, stop it. Don't get all shy now. Tell me what you were imagining."

"But, why?"

"Because I want to know. You know it gets me off."

"I was just… I was thinking about the way you let me dig my nails into your back… About the way you let me make the scrapes bleed… and what it feels like when you make me come…"

"And what does it feel like, when I make you come?"

"A hell of a lot better than when I do it," Regina grumbled in response, making Emma laugh.

"I bet," she teased. "Anyway, now you're gonna have to let me-"

"No way! I didn't finish! I didn't come!"

"That doesn't matter. You were _going_ to."

"Ugh! Don't turn that argument around on me, Emma Swan-Mills! This is different!"

"In what way?"

"In… In… There were specific terms of our contract!"

"Oh, really? I don't remember signing anything."

"And you say _I'm_ a cheater?!"

"I said if you can go a month without an orgasm. You _fully_ intended to orgasm."

"Emma, that's _not_ fair, and you know it!"

"Alright. Okay. You didn't come. I think you're cheating, but fine. You didn't orgasm, so I'll let it slide. Now, let's see if you can make it another two weeks."

When Emma stood up and started to walk away, pulling her shirt off to reveal a red, lace bra, sweat began to drip from her lover's forehead as she laid back against the pillows.

"Emma, wait!" she called out, causing her wife to turn around and face her.

"Yes, dear?"

"You're right. I can't do it. I can't wait."

"I thought you'd say that," Emma teased with a grin, walking back over to the bed, slipping under the covers, then spreading her lover's legs and moving between them. "You did pretty well, going two weeks. Usually we do it once a week, at the very least."

"Fifteen days," Regina corrected, as a blush rose to her cheeks.

"Alright. A little more than a week. I'm proud of you for making it that far. I figured you'd hit the two week mark and cave, though. And now, unfortunately for you, I get to take my prize."

"Listen… Emma… about that…"

"Oh, no way are you backing out of this contract now. We had a deal!"

"Look, I'll do anything else. I'll let you fucking beat me. I'll let you-"

"No. I want to _humiliate_ you."

Regina's eyes went wide as more blood rushed to her cheeks.

"Babe…"

"No."

"C'mon, hun. Anything else you want. _Anything_."

"What, are you scared?"

" _Yes,_ Emma!"

"Why?"

"Isn't it going to hurt?"

"At first. But we'll use lube, and I _promise_ I'll make you come."

"I… Okay… Fine. But I swear, if you tell anyone about this – _including_ your little pals Ruby and Belle – I will fucking end you."

"Wow, babe! Potty mouth!"

"Oh, shut up and-"

Just then, Keileigh's cries were heard from down the hall, and the two women looked up in the direction of the sound.

"We'll continue this later," Emma warned, shooting her wife a serious glance as she stood up and walked towards the girls' room, leaving Regina to sit in her intense, uncomfortable arousal, without release.


	10. Chapter 10: Their Fairytale

When she heard the sound of another child waking up and crying, Regina stood and followed her wife into the same room, lifting a two-and-a-half year old Samantha into her arms as Emma cradled Keileigh.

"Maybe this was a bit much," Regina laughed as she calmed their older daughter and handed Emma a pacifier for their younger one.

"You think?" Emma chuckled, shaking her head as she popped the pacifier into the mouth of the six-month-old girl, who made a cooing noise, then quieted quickly.

As soon as this happened, the two heard a scream from the boys' room, and knew it was coming from their one-year-old Shon. Emma sighed, placing the tiny girl in her arms back into her crib, then hurried into the other room to comfort her son. Henry, the oldest at four years old, was sitting quietly on his bed, staring at his little brother.

"Why do they cry so much?" he asked his mother, frowning in their general direction.

"You know, that's a pretty good question, buddy. You didn't cry much when you were a baby. You were actually pretty easy to handle. Sammy was a little more of a handful, but Shon and Keileigh… they're just… sensitive, I guess."

"What does sensitive mean?"

"It means they get upset really easily."

"Oh. Okay."

"You alright? I imagine that scared you."

"I'm okay. When do I get my own room?"

Emma blinked at him, then said, "Well… I guess when you stop jumping in bed with us in the middle of the night."

The boy scowled, crossed his arms, and lied, "I don't do that!"

"You certainly do. But you're a big boy now, and you really gotta stop that, okay?"

By this time, Shon had stopped crying, comforted by the sound of his mother's voice, so she laid him back in the crib, then walked over to her son and knelt down in front of him.

"It's okay to get scared. It's okay to have nightmares. Everyone does. But you gotta be a big boy and stay in your bed at night, okay? Your mum's really worried about you, 'cause you're still sleeping with us."

Henry sighed and looked down at his feet.

"Okay, bud?" Emma pressed.

"Okay," he muttered, swinging his legs and kicking the frame of his bed with the backs of his feet when they swung backwards.

"So are you ready to get up, or do you wanna go back to sleep?"

"I wanna get up and watch Sesame Street."

"Alright, kiddo," she said, lifting the quickly-growing boy into her arms and holding him over her shoulder. "Just like a sack of potatoes. Let's go downstairs, yeah?"

"Put me dooown," he whined with a laugh, kicking his legs.

"Nope! I've captured you, and now we're going downstairs into my dungeon where I'm gonna tickle you!"

"Moooooom, noooooo!"

"Mom, yes!" she cried happily, marching down the stairs into the living room and setting him down on the couch before proceeding to tickle his sides until he was squealing. When she finally stopped – mostly because she was worried he'd pee himself – the boy was grinning and out of breath.

"You're meeeeean," he fussed, kicking his feet again.

Emma, looking down at his tiny little socks and felt a sudden pang of emotion explode inside her, as her heart swelled and tears filled her eyes.

"I love you, buddy," she said softly, kneeling in front of the couch where he was still laying down.

He sat up quickly and wrapped his arms around her neck, holding on tightly, and said, "I love you too, mama. Can I sit in your lap?"

"Of course you can, big guy. C'mere."

So she sat on the couch, lifted him onto her lap, and wrapped her arms around him to hold him there as she used the remote to turn on the television. By the time her wife came down the stairs, they were both completely engrossed in the show.

"Hey, guys," she greeted them brightly, giving them both a wave. When they didn't respond after a minute or so, she said, "Jeez, Em. Didn't know you liked Sesame Street so much."

"Huh? What? Honey, hush! Cookie monster!"

Henry still hadn't taken his eyes off the TV and was consequently ignoring his mother as Emma joined him in staring at the screen. Though Regina probably should have been irritated by their lack of attention, she simply leaned on the doorframe and watched as the two bonded, as Emma's hand reached up and absently stroked the boy's hair, her attention still completely on the show.

Eventually, Regina turned and entered their kitchen, where she began to prepare their dinner. After a while, she stood in the doorway once more, watching the two continue to ignore her, but this time because they were engulfed in an intense tickling match (that their son was quickly losing). Trying not to laugh and take their attention away from each other, Regina smiled happily, then ascended the stairs to wake the rest of their children from their naps.

After helping Samantha down the stairs and placing her on the couch beside her other mother, Regina went back upstairs to collect Shon, leaving Keileigh asleep in her crib to be fed by a bottle later that evening. It was only when the woman announced dinner that the three on the couch took their eyes off the screen and noticed the brunette standing in the open doorway leading from the living room to the kitchen. Excitedly, Henry screamed and ran into the other room, and Emma followed him, stopping to kiss her wife slowly on the lips as she entered the dining room.

"Thanks for making dinner, babe," Emma said, once she was finished eating and was turned to face Shon in his highchair. She helped him pop the last few pieces of fruit into his mouth, the said, "Good boy, Shonny! You finished all of it!"

"How come Shon gets fruit and I have to eat yucky brocc'li?" Henry whined, slapping his fork down on the table as he made exaggerated gagging sounds.

"Henry Swan-Mills!" Regina snapped. "Don't you make those noises at the table!"

But the boy just giggled and made the noise again, until Emma turned to him and warned, "If you do that one more time, we're not going out for ice cream."

"Ice cream?!" the boy nearly screamed, bouncing in his chair and clapping his hands.

"Only if you finish your veggies and stop acting like an animal at the table."

Regina smiled at her wife, nodded her head in approval, and watched as her son immediately put the rest of his broccoli into his mouth, almost all at once.

As soon as they were finished and their stomachs had all settled, Emma and Regina loaded all four kids into their minivan, and the blonde pulled out of the driveway while her wife sat in the passenger seat. Once as they did, Emma pushed play on CD player, starting the disc of children's songs.

"Wait," Henry said from the seat behind them. "Play mama's music!"

"What?" Emma asked, whipping her head around to look at her son. "What music?"

When Henry said, "I dunno. Just… music!"

Emma looked at her wife, raising an eyebrow, but Regina just smiled shyly and pulled a CD out of the glove box. After ejecting the kids' CD from the player, she put her own CD in and hit play.

" _Eojjeol su eobseoseo beoryeosseo_

 _Modeun gamjeongeul jiwosseo_

 _Neol aesseo jiul su eobseoseo_

 _Nae mami ansseureowoseo"_

"Babe!" Emma cried out, turning the volume down after the first verse, a huge smile spreading over her face. "Since when do you play Vixx for our kids?"

"Honestly?" Regina asked with a playful grin. "I've been playing this for them every time we're alone since Henry was a baby."

"I like it!" Henry cried out happily. "It's pretty!"

"It is, isn't it, babe?" the brunette asked, turning to look at her son.

"Uh-huh! Don't you like it, mama?" the boy asked the blonde.

"Actually, Henry… This music is the reason I met your mom."

"Huh?"

"I'll explain when you're older," Emma laughed as they pulled into the parking lot of the ice cream parlor. "Let's get something yummy for you, yeah? You did a great job eating all your veggies tonight. So did Sammy!"

The girl siting beside her older brother clapped her hands and smiled broadly at her parents.

"You did, Sammy!" Regina agreed. "You did great with your veggies!"

"Ice cream!" the girl cried out, clapping her hands again. "When we having ice cream?

"Right now, goober!" the blonde laughed.

"Yeah!" Henry chimed in.

Shon and Keileigh had little interest, since they hadn't really eaten ice cream yet (though Shon had tried a cherry popsicle). They just seemed happy to be taking a ride and getting outside, once their parents brought them out to the picnic table.

Samantha held onto the cone of her ice cream tightly, but out of the corner of her eye, as she watched the little girl lean against her other mother, Emma could see exactly what was about to happen. The little girl's hand slipped, and the ice cream fell directly into her lap, after smearing her entire shirt and pants with chocolate on the way down. Immediately, the girl screamed and started to cry. As soon as they saw this, not having been quick enough to stop it, Emma and Regina froze, just long enough for their eyes to connect.

The memory they'd shared of the little girl back at Disneyland all those years ago came flooding back to them as they listened to their daughter cry, and even though they were smiling, a few tears filled their eyes. Emma knelt in front of the girl and quickly wiped up the mess with a few napkins. Meanwhile, Henry watched the tears that had filled the brunette's eyes stream down her cheeks.

"Mama, what's wrong?" the boy asked her. "It's just ice cream…"

"No, baby," Regina sniffled, wiping her eyes with a napkin. "Your mom and I just share a _very_ special memory that this reminded us of."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, back when your mom asked me to marry her at Disneyland-"

"MOM TOOK YOU TO DISNEYLAND?!" he screamed, jumping off the bench of the picnic table and running over to the blonde as he flailed his arms. "WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO TAKE _US_ TO DISNEYLAND?"

As her brother's excitement bubbled over, Sammy's tears began to dry, and she started to relax, captivated by his enthusiasm.

"Henry," Regina laughed, once she'd realized that her daughter had finally calmed down. "We'll take you when you're all a little older. This was a long time ago, before you were born. Anyway, your mom asked me to marry her there, and right after that, we were sitting on a bench in the park, just watching people, and we saw a little girl drop her Mickey Mouse ice cream bar and get it all over herself. She cried and cried until her mom got her another ice cream. It was adorable, really. And that's…"

When the brunette trailed off and Emma noticed that she was getting choked up, she finished the sentence, saying, "That's when we decided that we wanted to have you guys."

"Really?!" Henry gasped, enchanted by the story. "That's like a fairytale!"

"Fairytale?" Sammy asked them, eyes wide with wonder. "Mommies have a fairytale?"

"Mhmm," Emma told her, pinching her cheeks. "Just like the ones we read you guys at bedtime!"

"Moms have their own fairytale!" the boy cried brightly.

Shon and Keileigh, enchanted by their siblings' excitement, giggled happily and watched as their older brother and sister interacted with their parents.

"Your mom is a queen, you know," Emma told them brightly.

"Emma, stop it," Regina hissed, giving her shoulder a gentle shove. "Knock it off."

"What?!" Henry gasped. "Nuh-uh!"

"Yes, huh! When we met Snow White-"

"YOU MET SNOW WHITE?!"

"Yeah, baby. And she even recognized your mom!"

"Emma…" Regina protested, trying to glare at her wife but unable to hide her smile.

"She's a queen, buddy," the blonde told her son. "Which is why you all better listen to her when she tells you to eat your veggies! Otherwise, she'll banish you from the kingdom!"

"What? No! Mama, don't banish me!"

"Eat your veggies, then, Mister!" Emma laughed, tickling his sides.

Regina smiled as the blonde finally let him go and kissed the woman's cheek softly, whispering a quiet, "I love you."

"Love you too, my queen," her wife replied, making Regina blush.

Sammy, just like the little girl in Disneyland, was too tired to finish another ice cream cone. She nearly fell asleep as she leaned into her mother's side. Regina, who was holding Shon on her lap with one arm, wrapped her other around the sleepy girl and smiled at them both, her heart swelling with contentment.

"Let's get going," Emma suggested, as soon as Henry had finished his ice cream.

So they loaded the kids back into the car and headed home. The younger three fell asleep in the car, but Henry was wide awake and kept asking them questions about their trip to Disneyland.

The brunette laughed, saying, "Henry, relax. We'll take you when you're all a little older."

"How _much_ older?" he whined, kicking the back of Regina's seat.

"Hey," Regina warned. "Stop that."

"How _much_ older?!" he pressed, swinging his heels back against his own seat instead.

"Well…" the boy's mother said slowly. "Maybe when Kei-bear turns three. That way she'll be able to walk around a little and kinda take in what's going on, and everyone else will be older too."

"But moooooooom! I wanna go _now!_ "

"I know, love," Regina sighed. "But think about it. Right now, you're too little to ride most of the rides. You'll be almost seven when Kei-bear is three!"

"I'm too small to ride them now?" he fussed.

"Well… most of them. Some you'd be fine on, but we'd have to go on them with you."

"But, I-"

"Buddy," Emma cut in. "Don't pout, alright? I promise we'll take you. You just gotta wait a while. It'll be more fun for you when you're older. You can give all the princesses kisses and ask them to marry you!"

"Ewww!" the boy gasped. "That's yucky!"

The blonde laughed, telling him, "You might not think so by the time we go."

"That's true," Regina agreed. "By that time, the girls will be all over you, you handsome man."

"What does handsome mean?"

"It means that you're really cute, and that the girls will all love you."

"But I don't _want_ them to love me! The only girls I like are Sammy and Keileigh! Everyone else is gross."

His younger sister woke to the sound of her name, and, hearing what he'd said, clapped her hands and screamed happily, "HENRY LOVES ME!"

Their mothers laughed at both of them as they pulled into their driveway, just in time for the two youngest children to wake from their older sister's screeching outburst. Shon just opened his eyes wide and looked around calmly, but Keileigh started to cry.

"Oh, boy," Emma laughed. "Time for bed, guys."

"I wanna stay up!" Henry cried unhappily, unbuckling his seatbelt and squirming in his seat. "Wanna watch more Sesame Street!"

"It's not on right now, buddy," the blonde chuckled, then slipped out of the driver's seat and opened the door for Henry.

He and Samantha hopped out, but when the boy made a run for the door, his sister attempted the same thing, and ended up falling when she reached the steps, scraping her knees and hands.

In an instant, Emma was by her side, lifting her up into her arms as she wailed and Henry opened the front door. As soon as thee blonde was inside, she hurried to the downstairs bathroom and sat the girl on the edge of the tub, then quickly pulled their first-aid kit out from under the sink. Regina followed, holding Keileigh by the handle of her portable car seat and carrying Shon with her free arm. Once she'd checked on her wife and her two children in the bathroom and saw that Emma was perfectly in control of the situation, she went up the stairs and quickly put her two youngest children to bed, being grateful that both the exhausted little tykes quickly fell asleep, almost as soon as their heads hit the soft bottom of their cribs.

Once she was sure that those two were fine, she ran back downstairs to join the rest of her family in the bathroom, anxious to check on the wounded girl once more.

"Em, is she-"

"She's fine, babe," Emma replied with a smile. "She's gonna cry harder when I clean it, though."

"Oh, honey, don't-"

"Do you want it to get infected?"

"Well, no, but I don't want it to hurt her or make her cry more!"

"I'm not letting these little wounds get worse, alright? She's gonna be just fine," the blonde told her as she poured a small amount of hydrogen peroxide over the cuts on Samantha's knees. Henry's eyes went wide as the young girl screamed and kicked her legs.

"Oh, come on, baby girl," the blonde begged her. "Just calm down and it'll be over soon."

After repeating the action on the little girl's palms and earning another loud, exaggerated scream from her daughter, she placed Band-Aids over each of her four cuts, which she was sure would quickly turn into small, sore, swollen bruises. When Emma turned to look at her wife, the woman was covering her mouth with her hand as tears filled her eyes, looking distressed.

"Hey, stop it," the blonde warned. "You need to stay strong for her. She's gonna be just fine. It stings, I'm sure, but she's gonna be fine. They'll heal soon, and she'll be all better in no time."

Regina nodded, but the tears began to fall from her eyes as she continued to be horrified by the cries of her distraught child, who was clearly in pain.

"Baby," Emma sighed, helping the little girl down from the side of the tub, then turning to her wife as she held her daughter on her lap. "She's okay." When the woman kept crying, and the blonde noticed that her son also seemed upset by his sister's pain, she asked their other mother, "You remember Baltimore?"

Regina nodded with red eyes.

Her wife continued, "You were fine, yeah? I took care of you?"

Again, the brunette nodded her head.

"And what did I say?" her wife pressed.

"You s-said… You said…"

"That I didn't care if you got upset at me because it hurt. That I was going to do whatever it took to take care of you, no matter what. Didn't I?"

"Y-Yeah…"

"I'm gonna do the same for our kids. It only makes it hurt more for a minute, and then it cleans the wounds and makes sure that they're not gonna get any worse. You know that, Regina. I know her crying scares you and freaks you out, but she's fine." Then, Emma looked down at the little girl in her arms, who was slowly calming down and only crying in silence at that point, and asked with a soft smile, "You're alright, aren't you, baby girl?"

When her daughter saw the calm, relaxed look on her mother's face, she nodded in agreement and smiled a little.

When she looked to her other mother, she said, "I okay, Mommy," and wiped her eyes, this only made Regina cry harder as she fell to her knees in front of her wife and child, kissing the girl's forehead and cheeks.

"Gina, baby. Stop it. Don't scare her. You getting upset isn't helping. She's _fine_."

It was only then that her wife and oldest son began to ease their demeanors, looking at Samantha with fondness in their eyes.

"See?" Emma asked. "We're okay. We're all okay."

Regina leaned over the little girl and pressed her lips to her wife's, earning a shout of, "GROSS!" from their son, who was disgusted by the tender gesture of love.

"Alright," the blonde announced. "Bedtime. Let's go brush your teeth, guys."

Henry whined, but marched up to the bathroom at the top of the stairs.

Regina grabbed Samantha's toothbrush and helped the girl brush her teeth, while Henry used his special Avengers one to perform this task himself. Emma did the same, until both kids were finished. As the blonde put each child in their respective rooms, Regina took her turn to get ready for bed, also brushing her teeth and putting on her silk pajamas. By the time she appeared in the girls' room, she found Emma reading Samantha a story. She watched until their daughter's eyes fell shut and she started to take slower, heavier breaths.

Emma stood up, walked over to her wife, and then the two of them moved into the boys' room. Henry was sitting up in bed, holding his own book, which had less pictures and far more words.

"Fairytale," he announced proudly. "Like yours."

"With princesses?" Regina asked with a bright smile.

"And pirates!"

"And queens?" Emma added.

"And knights!"

So his parents sat down on the side of his bed and took turns reading, each of them doing a few paragraphs at a time, until Henry finally laid back against the pillows and shut his eyes. It was a little while longer before they heard his quiet snoring.

Back in their own bedroom, Emma changed into her own pajamas – a pair of red, heart-covered boxer-briefs – and a tank top, then slipped under the covers beside the brunette. Her wife looked at her for a long moment, saying nothing, but soon, Emma noticed her eyes lighting up and shimmering in the dim light of the candle beside their bed, watering as though she might cry.

"Baby, what's wrong?" she asked the woman carefully, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"You're a perfect mom, Emma," Regina managed, her voice choking up as she spoke.

"Nah," Emma laughed lightly. "I just try hard to be one. You're the perfect mom in this family, Regina. You love them more than words could ever express."

"So do you. I see that every time you look at them."

"I'm so glad we have four," the blonde sighed, flopping back against the pillows.

"I knew you would be," the woman countered with a satisfied smirk.

"Yeah, well, whatever, smartypants. At least I-"

"Twat."

"Dick!"

"Dildo."

"Stop it right now!"

"Dillldooo."

"Regina Swan-Mills!"

"Dildo!"

"C-"

"EMMA DON'T YOU DARE!"

"You know what, Gina?" Emma led with a grin.

"No, what, you little twat?"

"You're a cockmaggot."

"I'll have you know that I am a QUEEN, and that you deserve to be-"

"What? Punished…?"

"Exactly. For every single time you've ever said that, or tried to."

"You know, you never did punish me for it all those years ago…"

"First of all, you wouldn't let me. Second of all, I'm gonna make up for it tonight, and it's gonna be all the worse for you."

"Oh, yeah?" the blonde teased. "I think you're all talk, just like you were then."

"I think you're gonna find out _exactly_ what I'm capable of."

" _Finally,_ " Emma groaned. "I thought you'd _never_ get around to it."

Without hesitation, Regina grabbed the collar of the woman's shirt and literally tore it open, then gripped the woman's shoulder roughly, pulled her forward to turn her body, then used both hands to roll her until she was on her stomach, and shoved her down onto the bed.

"Oooh, babe," the blonde giggled. "You been working out?"

"You know that I have no time to work out. I've just carried four kids around over the past four years."

"Well, it's certainly done a number on your arms after all this time."

"Yeah?" Regina laughed, tearing her own shirt open, sending most of the buttons flying, to reveal her bare breasts and muscles, which had, in fact, grown a great deal over the past four years. "You're just noticing now?"

"Well you haven't really put them to the test until now, have you, darling?"

"Yeah, well… Tonight's the night."

"And what exactly-" she was cut off by the force of Regina grabbing the back of her neck and shoving her cheek into the mattress "-are you gonna do to me?"

"I'm gonna fuck you, baby," Regina cooed. "Until you're fucking raw and begging for it."

"Let's see if you really can punish me. Personally, I think you're just gonna cave in and make love to me before you can really break me."

"Oh, I'm gonna break you, Emma. You're not used to me giving it to you rough, but tonight, you're gonna fucking take it and cry like a little bitch."

Emma laughed at this, trying to hide her nervousness, and also trying not to take the woman's words seriously, but as soon as the sound came out, Regina dragged her nails down the woman's back until she cried out.

"Fucking strip," Regina hissed, holding Emma down.

"I fucking can't! You're fucking-"

"Oh, that's right. You can't fucking move, can you?" the brunette cackled, nearly bursting with the excitement of finally taking control.

She threw the covers off the bed, then jerked the woman's boxers down and off, revealing Emma's pale, bare ass.

"That's _exactly_ what I wanted to see," the woman's wife husked.

Emma cried out again when she felt the burning sensation of her ass being slapped by Regina's forceful hand, much harder than she ever could have expected from the woman had always been so gentle with her. _Fuck_ , she was thinking. _She fucking_ is _strong._ Regina didn't stop there, though. She slapped the other cheek, hard, but this time, Emma saw the shadow of her hand pulling back and bit her lip to stifle the whimper that she knew was bound to escape if she didn't.

Knowing that her children were all the way on the other end of the hall, that their walls were exceptionally (and intentionally) thick, and that it was _highly_ doubtful that the kids would heart them, the brunette hissed, "Open. Your goddam. Mouth."

Gasping at the order, Emma opened her mouth just enough to let the sound out, as she was too shocked to disobey.

Regina slapped her ass again, even harder, and shut her eyes when she heard Emma's cry, just for a moment, relishing the noise and the immense amount of control she was exerting over her lover. When Emma gasped for breath, but quietly, Regina brought her hand back once more, but when the woman winced in anticipation for the blow, she stopped, staring down at the woman she was supposed to be 'punishing.' Instead, she decided on another way to shock her wife.


	11. Chapter 11: Punishment and Disneyland

**A/N: Alright, people. Time for things to escalate ;)**

* * *

Regina leaned back and sat up on her knees, to give herself enough room to move her hand between her lover's legs, then rubbed her fingers over Emma's slit, but only brushing the woman's clit for half a moment. Still, feeling the coolness of the brunette's fingertips, Emma turned her head and moaned into the pillow.

Instantly, the brunette removed her hand and teased, "I just wanted to know if you were wet enough. And of course, you are." Then, she dug her nails into Emma's back, not moving them, and added, "Now turn your fucking head."

Emma gasped at the sharpness of the woman's nails pressing into her skin, but obeyed and turned her head back, mouth still gaping open. When the pressure of her lover's thighs brushing against the inside of her own was suddenly removed, she let out an involuntary whimper. When she heard the sound of the drawer of the nightstand opening, her heart stopped, then palpitated at an alarming rate. She heard the noise of Regina doing something – she wasn't one-hundred percent sure what (though she had her suspicions) – and gripped the sheets in her fists in anticipation for whatever was going to come next.

"I hope you're ready for this," Regina laughed, but before Emma could respond or even make a noise, there was the sound of a loud slap as what felt like the flat board of a paddle slammed against the skin of Emma's bare ass, which was now bright red.

 _Oh, God,_ Emma groaned silently. _I'm not gonna be able to sit for a week._

She had no time to have another thought before the paddle – which Emma assumed was the back of a hairbrush – slammed against her other cheek.

"You. Are in. So. Much. Fucking. Trouble," Regina managed to get out, slamming the item across Emma's cheeks with each break in her words, lighter that time, to give Emma a small amount of (temporary) relief.

Emma just whimpered, "I'm… I'm… _Fuck ,"_ as the stinging blows kept coming. "So… _Fuck!_ Sorry I-"

"Sorry you _what_ , Emma?" the brunette asked sternly, stopping her motions.

"Calling… Calling you…-" Emma tried to catch her breath, but choked on the air she tried to suck in "-a co-"

"A _what_ , Emma?"

"Cockmaggot!" the blonde screamed.

"Oh, _yeah?_ Regina said, slamming the brush against her ass again on the word 'yeah.' "How fucking sorry are you?"

When one more blow came down and Regina leaned in, her body pressed against the skin of Emma's aching ass, Emma screamed, "I'M NOT, YOU FUCKING COCKMAGGOT!" and tried hard not to laugh as sweat dripped down from her forehead.

Eyes wide with fury, suddenly _actually_ becoming angry, instead of just playing the part, Regina mercilessly dragged her nails down the woman's back one more time, drawing blood. To make it sting even more, her wife put her palms flat on Emma's shoulders, then slid them down her back, over the cuts, the pressure making them burn as a small amount of the blonde's blood smeared over her lover's palms. Of course, upon feeling the relentless stinging of her skin, Emma cried out.

"Say it again, you fucking twat. I fucking dare you."

"I'm. Not. SORRY!" Emma yelled.

Realizing that her voice was just a little too loud, Regina reached her hand around and covered the woman's mouth.

"You better scream," she said, "but not that fucking loud. Now, beg me to stop."

"NO!"

"No?"

"No!"

"Alright, then, darling. Punishment it is. After all, I can't be a queen _and_ a cockmaggot, and if anyone is going to teach you a lesson (which they certainly must), it's going to be me."

"Babe, hold on," Emma gasped, her chest heaving as her lover continued to press on her back to hold her down on the bed.

"What, you changed your mind? You want mercy now?"

Emma considered the offer, then managed to choke out a shaky, "N-No."

"You _are_ a stubborn one, aren't you?" Regina cackled, suddenly rolling off the bed and rushing to the closet.

When the pressure on her back was released (but still building in her core), Emma sucked in a few desperate, heavy breaths, and started to come down from the shock. Her lungs were only able to safely expand a few more times before she heard the noise that stopped her heart once again.

The crack of the whip was one thing, but the feeling of it cutting into her ass was another. Again, Emma screamed, unable to hold it in, and the sound caused screaming and crying from down the hall.

"Oh, FUCK," Emma cursed, covering her face with her hands and rolling onto her side.

"Fucking stay still," Regina hissed, setting the whip down beside Emma on the bed. "I'm going to take care of this, and if you fucking move, you're going to be sorry."

So the woman disappeared into the hallway, and it was only a few minutes before she returned, in which time Emma had successfully caught her breath and was calming down. Of course, the pain radiating throughout her entire body had not eased at all, and her eyes were squeezed shut to fight the tears by the time Regina got back.

"You… You had a fucking _whip_ just _laying the fuck around?_ " the blonde managed to gasp out, hearing the woman come back into the room.

"A little much, baby?" Regina asked, smirking at her wife, who was lying on the bed, but still covering her face. "Want to apologize?"

Emma shook her head vigorously, moving her hands away, rolled onto her back to look at her smirking wife, and scowled. As soon as she did, though, she cried out again, feeling the intense pain of the pressure created against her back. She immediately sat up to reduce the pain, but found that, even without anything pressing against it, her back was still on fire.

"Oooh," the gorgeous, nearly-naked brunette mocked. "Hurting, much?"

"Fuck you," Emma said, forcing herself to grin tauntingly at her beautiful punisher. "Let's see what you've got."

"Oh, I don't think you're gonna like this one, baby."

"Bring it on, bitch."

"Twat."

"C-"

"Emma," the woman warned fiercely, but her wife took no heed.

" _Cockmaggot_."

"Fucking DILDO."

Regina shoved her shoulders roughly back onto the bed, and the blonde hissed as her wounds crashed against the sheets.

"Roll over and shut your eyes," the brunette ordered, walking to their closet once again. Before turning around, she added, "And fucking hold still."

When Emma felt the familiar pressure of a hard, heavily lubricated shaft between her legs, she gasped, earning a broad grin from her ecstatic lover.

"Look who's taking it up the ass now?" Regina laughed, pressing her hand against Emma's bloody lower back to hold her still. "Lift your fucking hips."

Not wanting to obey, but not wanting to beg the woman to stop, Emma did as she was told, lifting her hips, causing the shaft of the strap-on to push further between her legs, rubbing against the slickness of her folds. The brunette saw this and slowly pulled it away, then positioned it between the cheeks of Emma's ass.

"This isn't the deal!" Emma finally shouted, as her lover started to push the tip closer. "I didn't fucking come! I didn't even TRY! YOU fucking did!"

"Oh, no," Regina chuckled darkly. "This isn't park of the deal. This is just punishment – severe, deserved punishment – for disrespecting your queen."

"You called me a dildo!" the blonde protested, thrashing a little beneath her lover.

This only served to make the pain more intense, so she stopped quickly.

Regina leaned in, her body completely pressed against Emma's, and whispered, "I promise I'll make you come," using the same words Emma had when they'd made the original bet.

As Regina moved closer and the shaft slipped back between Emma's legs, she reached around and gently groped one of Emma's breasts. When she finally squeezed the woman's nipples, Emma moaned and arched her back, which she immediately regretted. But her wife held her still and pushed her hips forward, then rocked them back, letting the shaft of the strap on rub the space between her lover's legs until she was panting.

"Are you ready to be punished, Emma?" she finally asked.

"Yes," Emma whimpered. "Punish me, baby."

So Regina pulled back, held the tip at Emma's back entrance, then pushed it in slowly.

Emma gasped, feeling the pain of the first movement, but this time, Regina was gentle and softly moved her hands down the woman's sides.

For the first time since they'd begun Emma's punishment, Regina's voice became almost sweet again as she asked, "Are you okay, babe?"

When Emma nodded, she moved her hips back, sliding the toy out of Emma, then pushed it back in. After a few more slow movements, Emma was gasping. This encouraged her wife to push in harder and faster, which she did gradually, until her lover began to moan. Then, with one hand on the lowest unmarked part of the blonde's back to support herself, Regina used her free hand to reach around and stroke the bundle of nerves between Emma's legs.

As soon as this happened, Emma involuntarily rocked her hips back into Regina's thrusts as they became more and more intense.

"Do it, Gina," the woman finally moaned. "Fucking do it."

So Regina pulled back once more, then slammed into her with as much force as she could manage, causing Emma to cry out, this time in ecstasy, and then increased her thrusts to heavy, frantic movements and rubbed her fingers harder against Emma's clit.

Regina only had to thrust into her a few more times to make her come, and when she did, Emma's thighs shook. The brunette relished this feeling, this reaction she'd created, and started to move slower, but didn't stop as her wife came hard, for almost as long as she had their very first time. When she completely collapsed on the bed, the shaft slid out of her, and she moaned once more. Regina quickly got off the bed and removed the straps of the toy and slipped out of it, then laid on her side next to her lover on the bed.

"Babe?" she asked softly. "You okay?"

"That was so. Fucking. _Intense,_ " Emma groaned, covering the red sweatiness of her face with her hands.

In fact, even Regina was sweating from the exertion, and the blonde felt it as the woman curled around her, only gently pressing her naked body against the woman's bare back.

"But are you okay?"

"I'm…" her wife tried, sucking in another shaky breath. "I'm okay. Are… Are you done?"

"I think that was enough punishment for the rest of your life, my dear. I'm pretty sure that covers anything you're gonna do in the future, too."

"Oh, I don't know about that…" Emma said slowly. "I might… I dunno. Burn the house down or something…"

"What…?"

"I dunno. Maybe I'll quit my job and lie about it for weeks. Just to-"

"Just to what?"

"Just to get in trouble."

"Oh, wow…" Regina breathed. "You _liked_ that?"

"Well, I fucking _came,_ didn't I?"

"That's just a physical reaction to being fucked like an animal. It doesn't have to mean that you actually enjoyed getting hit like that."

"I might usually like it better when it's soft, slow, and erotic… but that… that's definitely something I'd try again…"

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

"Don't worry," the woman said coyly. "I'll think of something I can punish you for. And maybe, uh… Maybe you'll get a turn too."

"Well, that's never gonna happen."

"Why not?"

"Because you're always an angel," Emma whispered. "Always. Except maybe just now. Just now, you were _definitely_ my evil queen."

"Well, maybe you could punish me for that, then."

"I'll punish you for anything you want, darling."

Of course, Emma's bruises and cuts hurt for quite a few days, but most of the following nights (at least the ones where their children didn't scream and cry the entire time), Regina, still feeling a little guilty (regardless of what Emma had said), made love to her slowly and whimpered several adoring, 'I love you's as she made her wife come.

* * *

 **THREE YEARS LATER**

"Alright, Kei-bear. You're the youngest, so you get to open the big present, okay?" Emma announced as all six of them sat around the Christmas tree, with the kids barely able to contain their excitement.

"Why does she get the big one?" Henry whined, banging his fists on the carpet. "I want it."

"It's not just for Keileigh," Regina told him with a smile. "It's for all of you. She just gets to open it because she's the youngest."

"But that's not fair!" the boy cried.

"It is fair," Emma countered. "But if you don't behave, the present's _only_ gonna be for your little brother and sisters!"

"Fine!" he shouted, crossing his arms as his sister tore into the penguin-covered wrapping paper concealing the box (since it was her favorite animal).

When she opened it the rest of the way, having let Emma tear off the tape at the top, all she found inside it was another box, which was also wrapped in brightly colored paper, this one with cars and trucks all over it.

"Huh?" the youngest child questioned, quizzically staring at the second box.

"Okay," Emma said, grinning. "Let Shon open this one."

"But-"

"Shon's turn," Regina cut in, gently taking the box away from the girl and handing it to her youngest son. "Go ahead, baby."

So the boy tore into it, only to find yet anotherbox inside that one.

"Okay, Sammy!" the blonde said happily. "Go for it!"

When Shon handed it to her, also looking confused, the oldest girl tore into her box, which was covered with Hello-Kitty paper, to find _another_ box inside that one, its wrapping paper superhero themed.

"Last one, Henry!" Emma cried, bubbling over with excitement. "Tear it up, bud!"

Her wife gripped her hand, both of them sweating slightly from anticipation.

When their oldest son opened the smallest box and saw the paper brochure that was inside, he screamed.

"NO WAY!" he shouted, leaping to his feet and jumping up and down. "REALLY?!"

"Really!" Emma cried happily.

"What? _What?"_ Sammy whined, scowling at everyone else in the room.

"WE'RE GOING TO DISNEYLAND!" Henry screamed, continuing to jump around the room, then up onto the couch.

"Hey!" Regina snapped. "No jumping on the couch!"

"WHEN, WHEN, WHEEEEEN?" he shouted, ignoring his mother.

"A little more than four months from now. May first," Emma laughed, scooping the boy into her arms, laying him down flat, and tickling his stomach.

"Mom, nooooo!" he whined through his laughter.

"Mom, yessss!" his mother cackled, continuing torture him until his eyes filled with tears.

"Emma, baby," Regina cooed. "Let him go before he pees himself."

"I don't do that anymore!" Henry shouted with a glare, sitting up.

"Alright, alright," the blonde laughed, putting her hands in the air as a gesture of submission. "But no jumping on the couch!"

The boy pouted but nodded his head, then looked under the tree at the rest of the wrapped presents surrounding it.

"More?" Shon asked, clapping his hands.

"Yep!" Emma answered with a grin. "Lots more. Not as big as the first one, but almost as awesome!"

"Now?" Keileigh squealed.

"Now, babe," Regina said, smiling at her children. "Everybody take _one_ present and open it, okay?"

But Henry grabbed three and put them on his lap, tearing into them as quickly as possible while his siblings did the same.

* * *

 **MAY FIRST**

Samantha cried loudly as soon as they entered the park at Disneyland, so Emma knelt down and took her hands, asking, "What's wrong, baby girl?"

"We're heeeere!" she yelled through her tears, causing her mothers to laugh.

"Yeah, honey," Regina replied, ruffling the girl's hair. "We're here."

"I wanna ride rides!" seven year-old Henry shouted, bouncing on his heels. "I wanna ride rides!"

"Breakfast first," the brunette told him. "Then rides."

"I wanna meet the princesses!" Samantha shouted.

"I wanna ride the train!" Shon added.

Then, Keileigh took her turn and yelled, "Castle! Castle!"

"We will, babies," Emma assured them. "We will. We're gonna eat, ride a ride, meet a princess, ride the train, check out the castle, eat some more, ride another ride, meet another princess, and theeeeen… ice cream!"

All four of her children squealed with glee, crying in unison, "ICE CREAM!" and in response, their parents' faces lit up brightly.

After breakfast, as promised, they picked a ride – Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, where they got to sit in a moving cart and shoot tiny, adorable aliens with fake laser guns.

After that, as they waited in line to meet Sleeping Beauty, Sammy asked Regina, "You're still a queen, right?"

When the woman, surprised at the question, opened her mouth to respond, but couldn't come up with a response, Emma stepped in and assured her, "Of course!"

"Do they know you?!" the girl cried, jumping up and down.

"Well, honey…" the brunette started. "They, um… They haven't all met me yet, so I'm not sure if they'll recognize me or not."

Sammy just cried in response, "I bet they'll be excited to see you!"

"I'm sure they will, babe!" Emma told her.

All four children smiled as they waited in line for another long, painful twenty minutes. Keileigh only broke down crying once because she was 'too hot,' even though it was only May and the temperature was just fine. After some water, she calmed down, just before it was their turn to meet the princess.

"My, my!" the actress playing sleeping beauty cried when she saw the four children approach. "Aren't you all adorable! And… Oh, wow!" The girl stopped as soon as she saw Regina, then exclaimed, "You mustbe Snow White's stepmother! So gorgeous! It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty!"

Of course, the woman turned bright red and looked to her wife, who was unabashedly grinning from ear to ear.

"T-Thank you," Regina finally managed, smiling at the girl through the few tears that had pooled in her eyes.

Just as Emma squeezed her hand, they both watched as their youngest fell to the floor and started to cry loudly again. Before either of them could pick her up and try to calm her, the princess immediately crouched down and took the little girl's hands.

"What's wrong, darling?" she asked with a bright smile.

"You're so pretty!" Keileigh sobbed, throwing her arms around the beautiful girl's neck.

"Thank you!" the girl said, then added, "Your mom's pretty too," as she winked in Regina's direction.

Seeing this, it was Emma's turn to grow red-faced, but not out of embarrassment. Out of defensiveness and jealously. Forcing a fake smile, she wrapped her arm protectively around her exceptionally-attractive wife's waist. The young woman blushed in return and looked away from the couple. Then, she turned back to the little girl in her arms, who had promptly stopped crying (which her parents were grateful for, since the photographer was snapping numerous pictures of their entire family).

Each child took their turn to hug the princess, and just before Henry wrapped his arm around her, Emma whispered, "Remember what we practiced?"

The boy, looking nervous, flashed his mother a brave smile, then turned back to the princess and dropped to his knee, asking, "Princess Aurora, will you marry me?"

Emma burst out laughing as her wife watched in horror, completely embarrassed by her son's excessive display of affection, but the princess just gave her signature, radiant smile and kissed his cheek, saying, "Of course I will, sweetheart! But you should go with your family first and ride some rides! Don't forget to meet Mickey and Minnie, okay? I'm sure they'd _love_ to hear all about this!"

The grin on the boy's lips was so broad it made his cheeks hurt, but even then, he couldn't stop smiling as he and the rest of his happy family walked out of the room and back outside.

"Told you guys they'd recognize your beautiful mom!" Emma announced happily as soon as they were back in the sunlight.

"That was AMAZING!" Sammy cried, clapping her hands. "She's so pretty!"

"Mommy is too!" Keileigh corrected the girl.

"Yeah!" Shon added, finally speaking after not having said a single word since they'd first been introduced to the princess, since he'd been too scared to do anything other than hug her.

"Guys, stop it," Regina groaned, covering her face with her hands as she turned bright red once again.

"Love you, mama!" Henry said with a grin as Keileigh took her mother's right hand and her wife took her left.

As they started to walk toward the castle, Emma leaned in close to her lover's ear and whispered, "She was totally fucking hitting on you."

"Emma, stop it!" Regina hissed under her breath. "She can't be older than twenty-three!"

"And _you're_ only thirty-three!" the blonde countered. "And you _are_ gorgeous, just like she said."

"Oh, knock it off. She wasn't hitting on me, okay?"

"She _really_ was, babe."

"Oh, what, you're jealous of a twenty-three year-old girl now?"

"MOMS!" Keileigh yelled. "CASTLE!"

Emma went silent, ending conversation between her and her wife, as everyone looked up at the beautiful castle in front of them.

"Just wait until you guys see it all lit up!" Regina told them with a smile. "It's gonna be beautiful. And there's fireworks after it gets dark!"

"FIREWORKS!" all four of them cried, ecstatically clapping their hands as they hopped up and down.

"Yeah, babies!" Emma said, grinning at them. "Fireworks! And they're gonna be different than what your mom and I saw when we came here, cause they change them almost every year to make them even better!"

"Really?" Henry asked her.

"Really! I can't wait!"

"Me either," Regina told them, happily wrapping an arm around her wife's waist.

That night, as promised, after they rode the train around the park, they all had a Mickey Mouse ice cream bar, thankfully without any mess. When the fireworks started later that evening, Keileigh started crying, not to the couple's surprise, as she was startled by the noise. Also not to their surprise, Henry quickly dragged her haphazardly onto his lap.

"Hey, not too rough," Regina warned him, watching as he wrapped his arms protectively around his sister.

"He's fine, babe," Emma said softly, putting her hand on the small of the woman's back. "They're fine."

When the brunette nodded reluctantly, her wife smiled at her and leaned into her shoulder. It took only moments for their youngest to calm and lean back against her brother. Shon crawled into Regina's lap, leaning back against her, while Samantha pressed herself tightly against Emma's side.

By the time the fireworks show was over, their three youngest were falling asleep, and even the oldest was tired. It was no surprise that Shon and Keileigh fell asleep on the bus ride back to the hotel. Regina carried Shon, Emma carried Keileigh, and their oldest two followed them sleepily as they got into the elevator. Once they were in the family suite where they were staying, the kids were quickly put to bed before any of them could start crying from being woken up.

As Emma turned out the lights and stood beside Regina, watching her angels as they slept, she knew that - despite her having repeatedly called her wife a cockmaggot – they'd gotten their happily ever after.

* * *

 **A/N: That's it, guys! A spicy, sappy, happy ending. Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think!**


End file.
